High efficiency solar light photocatalytic degradation of mordant blue 9 by monoclinic BiVO4 nanopowder

The research presented in this paper focuses on the influence of solution pH on the photocatalytic activity of single-phase monoclinic BiVO4 nanopowder degrading highly toxic textile dye Mordant Blue 9 (MB9) under the simulated solar irradiation. BiVO4 nanopowder was synthetized using a sonochemical route. The catalyst was confirmed to be single-phase and have relatively high surface area with mesoporous nanoparticles with 50 nm in diameter on average. Band gap was estimated to be 2.38 eV, proving high absorbance of the visible light. Photodegradation was observed in different pH values (pH = 1, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13) and the mechanism was proposed. Influence of catalyst concentration and its reusability at pH =13 are also reported, showing no activity loss after four cycles.