Surfactant-free synthesis of m-BiVO4 nanoribbons and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic properties

Abstract Monoclinic Bismuth vanadate (m-BiVO4) is a promising material for photocatalytic degradation of organic moieties. Uniform m-BiVO4 nanoribbons were synthesized by facile solvothermal route without using the surfactant and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra technique. The obtained m-BiVO4 nanoribbons possess well defined 1-D architectures with homogenous morphology and surface area of 22.4 m2/g. The prepared photocatalyst showed efficient photocatalytic activities up to 97% in 30 min against the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. The prepared photocatalyst is recyclable and showed a very small change in activity after three consecutive cycles. This higher activity can be attributed to higher surface area and crystallinity, which signify the promising commercial application of m-BiVO4 nanoribbons as highly novel and highly efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants.