Solvothermal synthesis and characterization of well-dispersed Monoclinic olive-like BiVO4 aggregates

Well-dispersed olive-like BiVO4 aggregates with uniform morphologies and sizes were fabricated by a template-free solvothermal process in ethylene glycol-water mixed solvent. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The as-prepared BiVO4 samples were of monoclinic phase and had good crystallinity and purity. Meanwhile, it was found that the solvent EG played a key role in the formation of the olive-like BiVO4 aggregates and this novel olive-like BiVO4 aggregate was assembled by oriented aggregation of nanoparticles in the solvothermal process. The formation process was initially presented. Additionally, the bandgap energy of this novel olive-like BiVO4 aggregate was estimated to be about 2.35 eV from the UV-vis absorption spectrum. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.