A facile way to fabricate cellulose-Ag@AgCl composites with photocatalytic properties

Abstract

Cellulose-Ag@AgCl composites have been directly fabricated by electrospinning of cellulose/LiCl/dimethylacetamide solution with AgNO3 under visible light. AgCl is formed when AgNO3 is added into a cellulose solution, and then the sufficient Cl− interacts with AgCl, which leads to the complete dissolution of AgCl. Meanwhile, AgCl is easily precipitated when the jet encounters water during electrospinning. Finally, cellulose-Ag@AgCl composites are formed because of the visible light irradiation during the whole electrospinning process. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, thermogravimetric analysis and ultra-violet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra are used to characterize the crystal structure, morphology, composition, thermal stability and ability of cellulose-Ag@AgCl composites to absorb visible light, respectively. In addition, the photocatalytic properties of cellulose-Ag@AgCl composites are examined by a model experiment of the degradation of methyl orange under visible light. The photocatalyst still exhibits a good catalytic ability in the process of reuse.