Bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4 ) powder was successfully prepared by the sol-gel method.Bismuth nitrate and ammonium vanadate were used as the starting precursors with mole ratio of 1:1 in ethanol media at 70 • C for 1 h. The yellow gel was calcined at 400-600 • C for 2 h. The phase of BiVO 4 powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology and chemical composition of BiVO 4 powder were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The functional groups of BiVO 4 powder was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the surface area of BiVO 4 powder was determined by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller technique (BET).

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Copper oxide nanopowder was successfully synthesized by microwave method. Copper acetate and sodium hydroxide were used as the starting precursors. The microwave power was set to 800 Watt for 2-6 min and fine black nanopowder was obtained. The nanopowder was milled and dried at 80 °C for 12 h. The structure was identified by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). A monoclinic single phase of CuO nanopowder structure was obtained without calcination steps. The morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The particle was irregular in shape and agglomerated. The chemical composition was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDXS). The chemical compositions showed the characteristic X-ray energy of copper (Kα=8.048 keV) and oxygen (Kα=0.525 keV), respectively. The functional group was investigated by fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The functional groups of the vibration Cu-O bending showed the wavenumber at 491-615 cm-1.

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4 ) powder was prepared by the sol-gel method using bismuth nitrate and ammonium vanadate as the starting precursors with mole ratio of 1:1 in ethanol media at 70ºC for 1h and calcined at 400-600°C for 2h. The phase structure of BiVO 4 powder was characterized by X-ray diffractrometer (XRD). Single phase monoclinic of BiVO 4 powder was obtained. The morphology of BiVO 4 powder was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). BiVO 4 powder was irregular in shape with the particles' size range of 100-300 nm. The functional groups of BiVO 4 powder was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT-IR). The symmetric and asymmetric stretching of VO . The photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol was investigated by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). The percentage of degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol using BiVO 4 powder after calcination at 500°C for 2h was 55.42%.

In this research, copper oxide (CuO) powder was successfully synthesized by microwave method. Copper acetate and sodium hydroxide were used as the starting precursors. The microwave power was annealed at 600-800 Watt for 6 min. The fine black powder was obtained, milled and dried at 80 °C for 12 h. The structure was identified by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). A monoclinic single phase was obtained without calcination steps. The morphology was investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The particle was irregular in shape and agglomerated. The chemical composition was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDXS). The chemical compositions showed the characteristic X-ray energy of copper (Cu, Lα = 0.929 keV) and oxygen (O, Kα = 0.525 keV). The functional group was investigated by fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The functional groups of the vibration Cu-O bending showed the wavenumber at 514-615 cm-1. The degradation of methylene blue (MB) over CuO powder was studied by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis). The highest percentage of MB degradation for CuO powder annealed at 800 Watt for 6 min was about 33.72.