Template-free hydrothermal synthesis different morphologies of visible-light-driven BiVO4 photocatalysts

Monoclinic BiVO4 nano- and microstructures with a diversity of well-defined morphologies, such as nanoplates, dendrite leaves-like structures, sub-microrods, and microflowers were synthesized via a template-free hydrothermal process with bismuth nitrate and ammonium metavanadate as metal source. The crystal structures, morphologies and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible absorption spectra (UV-vis). Results showed that the pH value of the solution and the volume of ethylenediamine have great effect on the formation of these unique structures. The photocatalytic activity of these as-prepared samples had been tested by degradation of methylene blue under visible light, indicating that showed good photocatalytic performance.