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Novel self-assembled BiVO 4 samples with red blood cell-like shape and flower-like microsphere were successfully synthesized via a facile solvothermal approach by using Na 2 CO 3 or NH 3 ·H 2 O as the pH controlling agent and citric acid as the chelating agent. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that both the citric acid and pH controlling agent had great influences on the morphologies of the samples. Besides, the relationship between the morphology and photocatalytic activity was studied in detail. Benefiting from the unique morphology, the prepared BiVO 4 samples exhibited excellent photocatalytic activities for the degradation of MB dye under visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchically structured m -BiVO 4 samples with different morphologies have been synthesized via a template-free solvothermal route by adjusting the pH value of the precursor solution. The effects of pH value on structure, morphology and photocatalytic activity were investigated. The results showed that the pH value played a great influence not only on the formation of the hierarchical structures with different morphologies, but also on the preferential crystal growth of the BiVO 4 oriented along {040} facets. The pinwheel-like sample with the highest relative intensities of the diffraction peaks I 040 / I –121 exhibited the best photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of MB under visible light irradiation. According to the Ostwald ripening process, a possible oriented aggregation mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]