The pH-controlled morphology transition of BiVO4 photocatalysts from microparticles to hollow microspheres

•Monoclinic BiVO4 hollow microspheres have been prepared from a novel vanadium source.•The morphologies could be easily controlled by the simple change of the pH of reaction mixture.•The products of BiVO4 exhibited remarkable photoactivity for the photodegradation of RhB.

Through adjusting the reaction pH, monoclinic BiVO4 hollow microspheres have been prepared from a novel vanadium source K6V10O28·9H2O without any additives via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The effects of pH on structure, morphology and photocatalytic activity were investigated. The results suggest that the pH of reaction mixture played a key role in the formation of BiVO4 with different and controllable morpholoyies. The products of monoclinic BiVO4 exhibited remarkable photoactivity for the photodegradation of RhB under the UV irradiation at room temperature. Based on the evolution process of morphology, a possible formation mechanism was proposed according to Ostwald’s step rule.

Graphical abstractA novel hydrothermal route to prepare BiVO4 with decavanadate (K6V10O28·9H2O) as vanadium source has been developed. The morphology transition of BiVO4 photocatalysts from microparticles to hollow microspheres was observed by changing the pH value of the reactions.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide