The in-situ growth of BiVO4 coatings on carbon fibers and their photocatalytic performance

• A hydrothermal route to BiVO4-coated carbon fibers was proposed.
• BiVO4 coating growth was strongly influenced by hydrothermal time and initial pH value.
• At pH 2, BiVO4-coated carbon fibers can be easily obtained hydrothermally at 180 °C for 5 h.
• They have a good response to visible light and exhibit excellent photocatalytic ability.

A good quality of BiVO4-coated carbon fibers was successfully prepared at 180 °C for 5 h by a hydrothermal process. The results showed that hydrothermal time and initial pH value as key processing parameters had significant influence on BiVO4 coating growth on carbon fibers. At 180 °C and pH = 2, fabricating BiVO4 coatings with a good crystallization would take no less than 3 h. Acidic environment more favored the isotropic growth of BiVO4 crystallites with a huge particle size, while increasing pH value was beneficial to their anisotropic growth but inhibited their nucleus formation to result in the reduction of BiVO4 particle numbers. BiVO4-coated carbon fibers exhibited a better photocatalytic performance than normal powdery BiVO4.

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