A novel 2D graphene oxide modified \u03b1-AgVO3 nanorods: Design, fabrication, and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance

Jian Wu,Xin Min,Yan Xing,Liangyu Li,Xing-Ao Li

doi:10.1007/s40145-021-0534-6

Abstract

Silver vanadates are promising visible-light-responded photocatalysts with suitable bandgap for solar absorption. However, the easy recombination of photogenerated carriers limits their performance. To overcome this obstacle, a novel 2D graphene oxide (GO) modified α-AgVO3 nanorods (GO/α-AgVO3) photocatalyst was designed herein to improve the separation of photocarriers. The GO/α-AgVO3 was fabricated through a facile in-situ coprecipitation method at room temperature. It was found that the as-prepared 0.5 wt% GO/α-AgVO3 exhibited the most excellent performance for rhodamine B (RhB) decomposition, with an apparent reaction rate constant 18 times higher than that of pure α-AgVO3 under visible-light irradiation. In light of the first-principles calculations and the hetero junction analysis, the mechanism underpinned the enhanced photocatalytic performance was proposed. The enhanced photocatalytic performance was ascribed to the appropriate bandgap of α-AgVO3 nanorods for visible-light response and efficient separation of photocarriers through GO nanosheets. This work demonstrates the feasibility of overcoming the easy recombination of photogenerated carriers and provides a valuable GO/α-AgVO3 photocatalyst for pollutant degradation.

Highlights

The elimination of toxic organic dyes that hazarded to water resources and human health has aroused widespread attentions [1,2,3]
Novel visible-light-responded photocatalysts including 0.5 wt% graphene oxide (GO)/α-AgVO3, 1.0 wt% GO/α-AgVO3, 2.0 wt% GO/α-AgVO3, and pure α-AgVO3 were successfully synthesized by a facile in-situ coprecipitation method, and their structure, morphology, photocatalytic performance, and mechanism were revealed
scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses indicate that the as-prepared photocatalysts have a flower-like morphology, wherein the petals consist of α-AgVO3 nanorods with a length of a few microns and GO nanosheets are uniformly covered on these nanorods

Summary

Introduction

The elimination of toxic organic dyes that hazarded to water resources and human health has aroused widespread attentions [1,2,3]. J Adv Ceram 2022, 11(2): 308–320 owing to their excellent electrical properties, controllable surface, and easy availability Among these SVOs, monoclinic structured α-AgVO3 is one of the most promising visible-light-responsible photocatalyst because the hybridization of V 3d, O 2p, and Ag 4d orbits can form highly dispersed valence bands with a narrow bandgap [15]. Enhanced photocatalytic activity has been found in GO/g-C3N4/MoS2 ternary hybrid material, wherein the fast charge transfer pathway through GO plays a key role [20]. Based on these facts, the introduction of GO to build graphene oxide modified α-AgVO3 (GO/α-AgVO3) nanorod hybrid materials is expected to significantly improve the photocatalytic performance of α-AgVO3

Results

Discussion

Conclusion