Synthesis and the enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of BiVO4 nanocrystals coupled with Ag nanoparticles

BiVO4 nanocrystals coupled with Ag nanoparticles (Ag–BiVO4 heterogeneous nanostructures) have been prepared by a new strategy via combining a hydrothermal route with a polyol process, in which BiVO4 nanocrystals were first synthesized by a hydrothermal route, and then, Ag nanoparticles were grown on the surfaces of the presynthesized BiVO4 nanocrystals through a polyol process. The photocatalytic evaluations demonstrate that BiVO4 nanocrystals...