Robust cubooctahedron Zn3V2O8 in gram quantity: a material for photocatalytic dye degradation in water

A simplistic, elegant approach has been invoked for the gram level synthesis of cubooctahedral Zn3V2O8 without the assistance of any template or growth directing agent. By heating on a water bath, ZnSO4 and ammonium vanadate produce unique cubooctahedral Zn3V2O7(OH)2(H2O)2. Then, cubooctahedral Zn3V2O8 is generated upon heating Zn3V2O7(OH)2(H2O)2 at a temperature of 500 °C in air. Interestingly, the morphology of Zn3V2O7(OH)2(H2O)2 remains unaltered even after complete dehydration by heat treatment. The unusual robust morphology of Zn3V2O8 exhibits enhanced photocatalytic dye mineralization activity, leaving behind Zn3V2O7(OH)2(H2O)2 and also NH4VO3. Cationic, nonionic and anionic dye degradation has become effective with a high turn over number (TON). The synthesized nanomaterial, being robust and highly photoactive, finds valuable application in environmental remediation under UV irradiation. In a nutshell, the present work provides some new insights for a low-cost and high-yielding greener synthetic protocol to produce a well defined photocatalytic material bearing a unique structure to benefit potential applications in wastewater treatment.