Abstract: By a simple coprecipitation process, a series of Ag3VO4 samples with crystalline particles from 100 nm to 5 μm were successfully synthesized at temperatures of0-80 ℃. The addition of polyethyleneglycol in the synthetic system resulted in the formation of nanosized particles with50-100 nm. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation showed that the Ag3VO4 samples, particularly the nanosized Ag3VO4 sample, were much more active than the commercial photocatalyst titania P25. In addition, after 4 recycles, there was no significant decrease in the photocatalytic activity of Ag3VO4 samples, indicating that the Ag3VO4 was a stable photocatalyst for degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation.

Key words: silver vanadate, nanosized particle, photocatalysis, visible light, rhodamine B, degradation