Microwave hydrothermal synthesis of N-doped BiVO4 nanoplates with exposed (040) facets and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic properties

N-doped BiVO4 single-crystalline nanoplates with exposed (040) facets were synthesized via a facile microwave hydrothermal method using NaN3 as a nitrogen source. The crystal structure, morphology, and photophysical properties of the samples were all characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, XPS, UV–vis and BET surface area techniques. The photocatalytic performances of the samples were evaluated by the decolorization of rhodamine B under the simulated sunlight irradiation. The results show that both pure BiVO4 polyhedrons and N-doped BiVO4 nanoplates have a monoclinic structure, but N-doped BiVO4 nanoplates with exposed (040) facets exhibit higher activity than that of pure BiVO4. The possible mechanism for improved photocatalytic activity of N-doped BiVO4 was also discussed in this work.