Facile Phase Control and Photocatalytic Performance of BiVO 4 Crystals for Methylene Blue Degradation

Heshan Cai, Linmei Cheng, Huacong Chen, Rongni Dou, Junfeng Chen, Yuxin Zhao, Fuhua Li and Zheng Fang ()
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Heshan Cai: Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
Linmei Cheng: Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
Huacong Chen: Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
Rongni Dou: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China
Junfeng Chen: School of Life Science, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, China
Yuxin Zhao: Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
Fuhua Li: Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China
Zheng Fang: Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: Emerging contaminants, which mainly exist as organic pollutants and pose adverse biological effects, could be removed using photocatalytic degradation, resulting in a low-cost and environmentally friendly solution. Herein, BiVO 4 nanoparticles with different morphologies and photocatalytic performances were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment at different residence times. The XRD and SEM results indicate that the crystal phase of BiVO 4 gradually transformed from a single tetragonal phase to a single monoclinic crystal phase as the hydrothermal time increased, and with the extension of the hydrothermal time, the morphology of BiVO 4 nanoparticles gradually differentiated from a smooth spherical shape to flower-like shapes composed of polyhedrons; the size of the crystals also increased accordingly. Methylene blue (MB), used as a probe of organic pollutants, was degraded under visible light irradiation by all BiVO 4 samples to investigate its photocatalytic activities. The experimental results show that the longer the hydrothermal time, the better the photocatalytic performance. The optimum hydrothermal time was 24 h, at which the sample showed the highest photocatalytic activity for MB degradation. This work shows a convenient strategy for control of the crystal phase of BiVO 4 -based photocatalysts based on the understanding of the crystal morphology evolution mechanism, which will benefit the researchers in designing new BiVO 4 -based photocatalysts with high efficiency for emerging contaminants’ degradation.

Keywords: hydrothermal method; photocatalysis; bismuth vanadate; emerging contaminants; crystal structure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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