Synthesis and characterization of V2O5/BiVO4 cake-like microstructures

V2O5/BiVO4 cake-like microstructures with uniform diameter were successfully fabricated with excess NaVO3 in the reaction solution under hydrothermal conditions. As-fabricated V2O5/BiVO4 microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements. The possible formation mechanism of the cake-like V2O5/BiVO4 microstructure was proposed based on the morphological evolution versus the reaction time. The photocatalytic performance of the V2O5/BiVO4 composites was measured by studying the visible-light decomposition of rhodamine B (RhB) molecules in solution. The V2O5/BiVO4 composites exhibit an obviously enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the pure BiVO4, as a result of the strengthened absorption ability in the visible-light region and the formation of heterojunction structure between V2O5 and BiVO4. This work presents a new way to develop BiVO4-based efficient photocatalysts in the application of wastewater treatment.