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Effects of citric acid and urea on the structural and morphological characteristics of BiVO4 synthesized by the sol–gel combustion method

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Abstract

Micro-sized spherical BiVO4 photocatalysts composed of nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol–gel combustion method. The effects of citric acid and urea on the structural and morphological characteristics of samples were studied by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, N2 adsorption and desorption and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B under visible light. The results showed the sphere-shaped BiVO4 sample to have excellent photocatalytic performance compared with the bulk sample prepared by solid-state reaction. This enhancement could be attributed to the special spherical morphology, which enhanced the absorption ability, increased the separation efficiency of photon-generated carriers and improved surface reaction sites for consumption of photon-generated carriers.

Graphical Abstract

Uniform micro-sized spherical BiVO4 samples composed of nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by the sol–gel combustion method. The relationships between the morphologies and citric acid with urea contents were studied by using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) technology.

FE-SEM images of the samples (A) the samples synthesized with different citric acid contents and (B) the samples synthesized with different urea contents

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21203170 and 41472042), the National College Students’ Innovative Training Program (Grant Nos. 201410491024 and 201310491019) and the Fundamental Research Founds for National University (Grant Nos. 1410491B04 and 1510491B01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China

    Long Chen, Junxia Wang, Dawei Meng, Yulin Xing, Xiaoyun Tian, Xiaohong Yu, Kun Xu & Xiuling Wu

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  1. Long Chen
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  2. Junxia Wang
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  3. Dawei Meng
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  4. Yulin Xing
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  5. Xiaoyun Tian
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  6. Xiaohong Yu
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  7. Kun Xu
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  8. Xiuling Wu
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Correspondence to Junxia Wang or Dawei Meng.

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Chen, L., Wang, J., Meng, D. et al. Effects of citric acid and urea on the structural and morphological characteristics of BiVO4 synthesized by the sol–gel combustion method. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 76, 562–571 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-015-3806-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-015-3806-1

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