Facile immobilization of LnVO4 (Ln = Ce, Nd, Gd) on silica fiber via a combined alcohol-thermal and carbon nanofibers template route

A facile immobilization method of LnVO(4) (Ln = Ce, Nd, Gd) was designed for the first time, via a combined alcohol-thermal and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) template route. The physicochemical properties of the prepared samples were characterized in detail and their photocatalytic activities were evaluated via UV light photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). The results show that the photocatalytic degradation of MB was pretty effective for the prepared LnVO(4) (Ln = Ce, Nd, Gd) samples, and the photocatalytic degradation efficiencies follow the order: GdVO4 > CeVO4 > NdVO4. It is expected that such unique immobilized LnVO(4) materials would possess many potential applications in photocatalysis. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.