Morphology-controlled synthesis of yttrium vanadate nanoparticles with the aid of different surfactants and its photocatalyst application

In the area of water purification, nanotechnology offers the possibility of an efficient removal of pollutants and germs. Nowadays, nanostructures used for detection and removal of chemical and biological substances include metals, azo dyes, nutrients, cyanide, organics, algae, bacteria, parasites, and etc. In this paper, yttrium vanadate (YVO4) nanoparticles were synthesized via a precipitation approach based on the reaction between yttrium nitrate hexahydrate and ammonium metavanadate in water. Besides, three surfactants as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were used to investigate their effects on the morphology and particle size of YVO4 nanoparticles. To evaluate the catalytic properties of nanocrystalline YVO4, the photocatalytic degradations of methyl orange under ultraviolet light irradiation were carried out. The structural, morphological, magnetic, and optical properties of as-obtained products were characterized by techniques such as XRD, SEM, EDX, VSM, and UV–Vis spectroscopy.