Low-temperature Synthesis of High Rendering BiVO4 Yellow Pigment via Chemical Co-precipitation

Abstract

BiVO4 yellow pigment was synthesized by using a template-free chemical co-precipitation method at low temperatures, with bismuth nitrate pentahydrate [Bi(NO3)3·5H2O] and ammonium metavanadate (NH4VO3) as Bi and V resources and deionized water as solvent. Phase composition and morphological characteristics of the samples were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM). CIE-L* a* b* color system and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra were employed to characterize chromatic properties of the BiVO4 pigment. It is found that the resulting products have monoclinic scheelite-structure and irregular bulk-like morphology with an average particle size of 1.7 μm. Meanwhile, the formation temperature is much lower than that of the conventional solid state method (700 ℃). When the concentration of precursor solution and pH value are 0.05 mol·L−1 and 6, the BiVO4 yellow pigment shows excellent chromatic performance, with L*=76.66, a*=0.22, b*=76.12, which is much higher than that of the commercial BiVO4. Importantly, the as-prepared BiVO4 pigment is applied in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and exhibits excellent color and dispersion properties in the matrix.