Abstract
Noble metal Ag nanoparticles with unique surface plasmon resonance property have attracted much attention recently in the field of photocatalysis. Based on the advantages of Ag nanoparticles and semiconductor CeO2, a novel plasmonic photocatalyst Ag-AgCl/CeO2 was prepared with a facile route. The as-prepared samples were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-vis diffusion re?ection spectroscopy. This metal-semiconductor nanocomposite plasmonic photocatalyst exhibited a high visible-light photocatalytic activity and good stability for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in water. Ag-AgCl/CeO2 will be a potentially promising plasmonic photocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation and water purification.
Highlights
Due to its high efficiency, low cost and availability, TiO2 has appeared as a leading photocatalyst candidate since 1970s [1]
The results showed that the degradation rate of methylene blue (MB) was greatly boosted by the assistance of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of the contacted silver nanoparticles under near-UV irradiation
The results showed that the synthesized catalysts had higher photoactivity and stability, showing the potential of AgAgCl/CeO2 as a promising photocatalytic material for organic pollutant degradation under visible light
Summary
Due to its high efficiency, low cost and availability, TiO2 has appeared as a leading photocatalyst candidate since 1970s [1]. As a potential photocatalyst for the oxidation of pollutants, CeO2 is less active than TiO2 under UV irradiation [14,15,16] It can be activated by visible light [8]. Ag NPs show efficient surface plasmon resonance (SPR), which can dramatically enhance the photocatalysts’ absorption in the visible region [18,19]. Wang et al [22,23,24,25] utilized the silver halides to develop Ag@AgX plasmonic photocatalysts with high activity and stability under visible light. The results showed that the synthesized catalysts had higher photoactivity and stability, showing the potential of AgAgCl/CeO2 as a promising photocatalytic material for organic pollutant degradation under visible light
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