Synthesis and characterization of BiVO(4) nanoparticles for environmental applications

In the present study, a chemical precipitation method is adopted to synthesize bismuth vanadate nanoparticles. The calcination temperature dependent photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of BiVO(4) nanoparticles are examined. The structural analysis evidences the monoclinic phase of BiVO(4) nanoparticles, where the grain size increases with calcination temperature. Interestingly, BiVO(4) nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C exhibit superior photocatalytic behaviour against methylene blue dye (K = 0.02169 min(−1)) under natural solar irradiation, which exhibits good stability for up to three cycles. The evolution of antibacterial activity studies using a well diffusion assay suggest that the BiVO(4) nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C can act as an effective growth inhibitor of pathogenic Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa & A. baumannii) and Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus).