Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterization of Visible-Light-Driven Dumbbell-Like BiVO4 and Ag/BiVO4 Photocatalysts

Visible-light-driven dumbbell-like BiVO₄ and Ag/BiVO₄ photocatalysts has been successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method at 180 °C for 24 h. The as-synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. The results obtained showed that ethylenediamine, citric acid, pH and hydrothermal reaction temperature have pronounced effects on the morphology of BiVO₄. Transmission electron microscopy observation shows that the Ag nanoparticles are homogenously dispersed on the surface of the BiVO₄ nanorods. Photocatalytic activities of the dumbbell-like BiVO₄ and Ag-loaded BiVO₄ photocatalysts were also evaluated by using methylene blue as a representative dye indicator under visible light irradiation. It is found that the photocatalytic performance of the as-synthesized BiVO₄ is obviously improved with the incorporation of the Ag nanoparticles. Mechanism for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of the Ag/BiVO₄ photocatalyst is also discussed.