Effect of pH on visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of facile synthesized bismuth vanadate nanoparticles

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method for different pH conditions (9, 10 and 11). The XRD patterns revealed that the synthesized nanoparticles belong to monoclinic single-phase BiVO₄ which was again confirmed from Raman studies. The chemical state of the elements in BiVO₄ and surface morphology were investigated using XPS and SEM analysis respectively. The optical absorption and PL studies revealed wide absorption in the visible region with strong emission at 520 nm. The efficiency of the samples was examined from the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye. (paper)