Search

V2O5/BiVO4 cake-like microstructures with uniform diameter were successfully fabricated with excess NaVO3 in the reaction solution under hydrothermal conditions. As-fabricated V2O5/BiVO4 microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements. The possible formation mechanism of the cake-like V2O5/BiVO4 microstructure was proposed based on the morphological evolution versus the reaction time. The photocatalytic performance of the V2O5/BiVO4 composites was measured by studying the visible-light decomposition of rhodamine B (RhB) molecules in solution. The V2O5/BiVO4 composites exhibit an obviously enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the pure BiVO4, as a result of the strengthened absorption ability in the visible-light region and the formation of heterojunction structure between V2O5 and BiVO4. This work presents a new way to develop BiVO4-based efficient photocatalysts in the application of wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4 ) microstructures with dumbbell, rod, ellipsoid, sphere, and cake-like morphologies have been successfully fabricated by using a surfactant-free hydrothermal method, in which the morphology of the BiVO 4 microstructures can be tuned by simply varying the molar ratio of Bi(NO) 3 ·5H 2 O to NaVO 3 in the starting materials. Based on a series of contrast experiments, the probable formation mechanism of the BiVO 4 microstructures with multiple shapes have been proposed. The photocatalytic performances of the as-prepared BiVO 4 microstructures have been evaluated by studying the degradation of Rhodamine B solutions under visible light irradiation. The results reveal that the cake-like BiVO 4 microstructures exhibit the higher photocatalytic activity than other BiVO 4 microstructures due to its high surface area and unique morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]