Hydrothermal preparation of BiVO4 powders

Monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) powders were prepared by a mild hydrothermal method, using an aqueous solution of bismuth nitrate and two different vanadium sources (V2O5 and NaVO3). The characterization of as-prepared BiVO4 was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that in the present work the temperature of 200 and 140degreesC are sufficient to prepare phase pure BiVO4 powders from V2O5 and NaVO3, respectively. The BiVO4 sample prepared from V2O5 consists of an agglomeration of small rod-like particles. When BiVO4 was prepared from NaVO3, monoclinic BiVO4 powder with a plate form is obtained. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.