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

Abstract Sandwich-like BiVO 4 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 BiVO 4 sheets, and Ostwald ripening is the primary driving force for the formation of sandwich-like structures. The sandwich-like BiVO 4 sheets exhibit a high activity for the degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm). The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of sandwich-like BiVO 4 sheets can be attributed to its large surface area over the irregular BiVO 4 particles.