Mesoporous materials have attracted increasing attention due to their wide application. In this paper, the Na4Ge9O20 microspheres were firstly prepared by solvothermal method. Then, the as-prepared Na4Ge9O20 microspheres were dispersed into Bi(NO3)3 solution, and the Bi4(GeO4)3 microspheres with mesoporous structure were formed due to the solid-state reaction between bismuth nitrate and Na4Ge9O20. The morphology, structure and optical properties were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, FITR, BET and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance analysis. The as-prepared products exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for degradation of reactive brilliant red X-3B under the UV light irradiation. A possible photocatalytic mechanism was discussed as well.
