Photocatalytic perfermance of sandwich-like BiVO4 sheets by microwave assisted synthesis

Sandwich-like BiVO4 sheets were successfully synthesized in an aqueous solution containing bismuth nitrate, ammonium metavanadate and polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 10,000 (PEG 10000) using a facile microwave-assisted method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, N-2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results show that the presence of PEG-10000 plays a critical role in the formation of BiVO4 sheets, and Ostwald ripening is the primary driving force for the formation of sandwich-like structures. The sandwich-like BiVO4 sheets exhibit a high activity for the degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation (lambda >= 420 nm). The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of sandwich-like BiVO4 sheets can be attributed to its large surface area over the irregular BiVO4 particles. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.