Structural characteristics and photocatalytic ability of vanadate-sillenite Bi25VO40 nanoparticles

• Visible-light-driven photocatalyst sillenite Bi25VO40 nanoparticle was developed.
• Bi25VO40 shows an efficient absorption in the UV–visible region with a narrowed band-gap.
• Bi25VO40 nanoparticles show a photocatalytic activity on methylene blue photo-degradation.
• The lattice has the strong polarizing fields, rich vacancies, and high openness.
• The good photocatalytic ability is related to structure specialties.

The vanadate-sillenite Bi25VO40 nanoparticles were prepared through the facile Pechini method. The average size is about 70 nm. The sample was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and the structural refinement. The surface properties of the nanoparticles were investigated by the measurements such as the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements. The nanoparticles have indirect allowed electronic transition and a narrow band gap of 2.31 eV. The photocatalysis was detected by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) solutions under the irradiation of visible-light. Hybridization of the 6s and 6p orbitals of Bi3 + and the resulting lone electron pair yield interesting properties. The photocatalytic activity was discussed on the base of the structural characteristics such as the strong polarizing fields, rich oxygen ion vacancies, and high structure openness degree of the lattice. Bi25VO40 nanoparticles could be potential in the application as a photocatalyst under visible light.

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