Bismuth vanadate (BiVO) is a well-known photocatalyst due to its lower bandgap (E) and visible electromagnetic light absorption capacity. Herein, we reported the pulse ultra-sonochemical assisted hydrothermal approach to synthesize S-BiVO. For the comparison purpose, H-BiVO is also synthesized via conventional hydrothermal approach. The surface morphology of S-BiVO through scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicates condensed microarrays (MAs) having pseudo-flower shapes. The energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) spectrum also confirmed the elemental percent composition of Bi, V and O in BiVO. X-rays diffraction (XRD) pattern further confirmed the monoclinic scheelite phase of S-BiVO. Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectrum showed Bi-O and Bi-V-O vibrational bands at 1382 and 1630cm, respectively. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) indicated absorption edge at ∼515nm, corresponds to bandgap value (E) of 2.41eV, which is suitable range for water splitting applications. The photocurrent density from water splitting under artificial 1 SUN visible light source found at 60 and 50μA/cm for S-BiVO and H-BiVO, respectively. The stability test through chronoamperometry showed that S-BiVO was more stable than H-BiVO. It can be depicted from the growth mechanism that ultrasonication played a definite role in the overall synthesis of pseudo-flower shaped S-BiVO MAs.

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Increasing dependence on rechargeable batteries has led researchers to investigate the characteristics of materials and various crucial parameters, which could enhance their overall performance in terms of stability, charge density, and durability.