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

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.