Hydrothermal synthesize and photocatalytic ability of a new silver vanadate semiconductor K2/5Ag3/5VO3 with stable α-AgVO3 structure

• K2/5Ag3/5VO3 semiconductor was developed by the hydrothermal method.
• K2/5Ag3/5VO3 presents stable α-AgVO3 structure with narrow band (2.02 eV).
• It keeps one-dimensional crystallization with a high ratio of length to diameter.
• The nanowires present very good dispersion in water and can be well recycled.
• K2/5Ag3/5VO3 has effective photocatalytic ability under visible-light irradiation.

A silver vanadate semiconductor K2/5Ag3/5VO3 with the stable α-AgVO3 structure has been prepared via the hydrothermal method. The structural refinements were completed. Similar to the well-known β-AgVO3, K2/5Ag3/5VO3 also keeps one-dimensional crystallization habit with a high ratio of length to diameter. The surface was characterized by the SEM, TEM, energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) spectrum and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The UV–vis absorption spectrum shows that K2/5Ag3/5VO3 nanowire has narrow band energy (2.02 eV) characterized by indirect allowed electronic transition. K2/5Ag3/5VO3 nanowires present a very good dispersion in water. Photocatalysis was tested by the photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution. The textile structure of the nanowires makes recovery possible by filtering after photocatalytic reactions. K2/5Ag3/5VO3 nanowires show effective photocatalytic ability under visible-light irradiation.