Vanadium oxide nanofibers as efficient photocatalysts for degradation of methylene blue under sunlight

Abstract

The vanadium oxide mix phase (VO₂/V₅O₉) nanofibers were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method, and their photocatalytic properties for methylene blue (MB) dye degradation were investigated. The as-synthesized nanofibers exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activity for MB degradation under sunlight irradiation. Characterization of the nanofibers was performed using various techniques, including UV–Vis, XRD, FESEM, FTIR, Raman, and XPS. The XRD and UV–Vis spectrum revealed a distinct orthorhombic crystal structure with an average diameter of approximately 72 nm and a direct band gap of 1.78 eV, respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of MB using demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving 95% degradation within just 5 min under sunlight exposure. The outstanding photocatalytic performance of nanofibers can be attributed to their broad light absorption in the visible range, facilitating sufficient charge generation, as well as the presence of ample active sites due to their unique crystal structure, which enhances MB adsorption. Moreover, efficient charge separation further contributes to the excellent photocatalytic performance of the nanofibers. These findings underscore the potential of nanofibers as a highly effective photocatalyst for environmental remediation applications.