Reverse-microemulsion preparation of visible-light-driven nano-sized BiVO4

Nano-scaled monoclinic bismuth vanadate was prepared via a novel reverse-microemulsion process. This process significantly reduced the calcination duration and heating temperatures required for preparing the pure phase in the conventional methods. The prepared powders had more uniform morphology and smaller grain sizes as compared with the powders obtained via the other routes. The average particle size of BiVO4 was decreased to35 nm, thereby leading to improve photocatalytic properties under visible-light illumination. The reduced particle sizes can be ascribed to the presence of nano-scaled micelles that restrict the growth of the particles. This reverse-microemulsion process was demonstrated to be a promising method for synthesizing visible-light-driven BiVO4 with enhanced photocatalytic activities.