A Novel, Simple and Green Way to Fabricate BiVO4 with Excellent Photocatalytic Activity and Its Methylene Blue Decomposition Mechanism

BiVO4 photocatalysts were synthesized via a facile surfactant-free method with heat treatment. The heat treatment temperatures influenced the crystal structures and morphologies. The photocatalytic performance is associated with its crystallinity, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area, and band gap energy. The BiVO4 photocatalyst prepared by heat treatment at 700 degrees C showed the highest photocatalytic activity, promoting 100% degradation of methylene blue (MB) in 60 min under visible-light irradiation. Recycling experiments results indicated that the BiVO4 photocatalysts have excellent photo-stability, and a possible mechanism for the photocatalytic process was proposed by examining the effects of the active species involved in MB degradation. This work could provide new insights into the fabrication of highly efficient and stable BiVO4 photocatalysts for dye degradation.