BiVO4 nano–leaves: Mild synthesis and improved photocatalytic activity for O2 production under visible light irradiation

Nano-leaf bismuth vanadate (BiVO4), which acts as an active photocatalyst for O2 evolution under visible light irradiation, was synthesized by a wet chemical method. The BiVO4 photocatalyst was obtained by the reaction of Bi(NO3)3·5H2O and NH4VO3 at a low temperature (60 °C). Both the morphology and the crystal phase of the synthesized product can be tuned by changing the concentrations of the precursor. The O2 evolution activity of BiVO4 nano-leaves from photocatalytic water splitting under visible light irradiation ( λ >420 nm) is significantly higher than that of the BiVO4 sample synthesized by a traditional solid state reaction method, and the activity can be further improved by annealing the samples.