Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects 22 (2020) 100431 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/nanoso Morphological effects on the photocatalytic performance of FeVO 4 nanocomposite Muhammad Munir Sajid a,c ,∗ , Naveed Akthar Shad b,c , Yasir Javed g , Sadaf Bashir Khan d,e , Zhengjun Zhang f , Nasir Amin c , Haifa Zhai a,∗ a College of Materials Science and Engineering Henan Normal University, China b National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), P.O. Box. 577, Jhang Road Faisalabad, Pakistan c Department of Physics, Government College University Allama Iqbal Road, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan d Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China e Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China f Advanced Key Laboratory for New Ceramics, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China g Department of Physics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan article info Article history: Received 2 July 2019 Received in revised form 18 January 2020 Accepted 12 February 2020 Keywords: Ferric vanadate Crystal structure Hydrothermal method Congo Red (CR) Photocatalysis abstract In this study, FeVO 4 nanostructures with different morphologies, nanoparticles, nanorods, nanospheres, nanoplates, and nanoflowers were synthesized at different pH values 2, 4, 7, 10 and 13, respectively. The structural analyses of the samples were done using XRD, SEM, and EDX. Optical studies were performed using FTIR, Raman, UV–Visible, PL and EIS techniques. The chemical analysis, compositions, and bound location were analyzed using X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS). The surface analyses of all the samples were done using BET. The BET surface area was found 114.97, 20.32, 26.41, 20.28, and 129.20 cm 2 g −1 owed to novel morphologies respectively for the nanoparticles, nanorods, nanospheres, nanoplates, and nanoflowers. In photocatalytic decomposition of Congo-Red (CR) organic dye, the FeVO 4 nanostructure showed 90 %, 96% degradation efficiency within 50 min under the UV and visible irradiations. The study predicts the effect of the morphology on the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized FeVO 4 nanostructures instead of aspect ratio and surface area. The catalyst retained its reactivity after recycling and exhibited consistent reusability. © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Structural nanomaterials have obtained extensive attention and implementation in the photo-assisted chemical conversion fields owing to their specific physicochemical properties [1]. De- spite the conventional catalyst (TiO 2 ), FeVO 4 (Ferric vanadate) is a promising catalyst used for purification, detoxification, reme- diation of industrial effluents and organic dye solutions. Every year 70, 0000 tons of dyes pigment are making to environmental pollutants across the worldwide, among 20% were exploited in the highly-developed area of textile for dyeing fabrics and coat- ing process. These polysynthetic dyes are the leading origin of organic contaminants since the structural differences [2,3]. On dyeing procedure, almost 10 to 15% dyes release into the envi- ronment, causes sewer water unpleasant [4]. The rapid industrial ∗ Corresponding author at: College of Materials Science and Engineering Henan Normal University, China. E-mail addresses: m.munirsajid476@gmail.com (M.M. Sajid), haifazhai@126.com (H. Zhai). growth and development create water pollution; this water pol- lution carries eminent concentration of these toxic and harmful dyes [5–7]. It is time to develop either a method to prevent and provide safe water from such a dye contaminant. Several approaches are utilized including chemical oxidation, mineral- ization, and electrochemical/photochemical degradation process for water purification [8–11]. Among these techniques, Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) is a photo-assisted technique in which a photon of energy greater or equal than the binding energy of semiconductor photocatalyst is used and it generates electron– hole pairs which oxidize the toxic dye, as a result decompose the dye into simple and mineral products [12]. The photocatalysis technique does not require any waste disposal problem. Semicon- ductor nanophotocatalyst can convert light energy directly into chemical energy, presenting a relatively simple, facile and envi- ronmental friendly approach for sustainable energy production and remediation of the pollution from the environment [13–15]. The semiconductor material, which is used as a photocatalyst, has significant importance for the removal of such dyes. The selection of the photocatalyst material is of highly importance, [16,17] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoso.2020.100431 2352-507X/© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.