LAUSR

A novel CaBiVMoO8 photocatalyst has been prepared by a simple coprecipitation technique at several pH values. The obtained samples were thoroughly characterized by X-ray powder diffraction analysis, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, and their degradation of orange G and rhodamine B dyes evaluated under UV–Vis irradiation conditions. The sample prepared at pH ~6 showed the best photocatalytic performance for both dyes. Also, photodegradation was favored under acidic conditions (pH ~4) of the aqueous solution, with degradation rate increased by about 4 and 18 times for rhodamine B and orange G, respectively. A tentative explanation is provided by taking into account the point of zero charge of the photocatalyst. In addition, several radical scavenger agents were used to elucidate the importance of different reactive oxygen species during the photocatalytic process.