Enhanced charge transfer and photocatalytic performance of cube-shaped Ag3PO4@Zeolite-A nanocomposite

Abstract

Nanostructures that absorb wide range of visible light have the potential ability to combat wastewater problems by acting as visible light active photocatalysts. Ag3PO4 nanostructures are visible light active and can address wastewater problems effectively. The present work explores the visible light activeness of the Ag3PO4 nanostructures for photocatalysis of methylene blue (MB) dye by compositing it with zeolite-A also known as LTA (Linde Type A). Owing to strong adsorption performance and porosity of the LTA, we expect the resulting nanocomposite material to deliver best in the field of adsorption and catalysis. The zeolite-A and Ag3PO4@zeolite-A nanocomposite were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal and wet chemical strategy under normal conditions. The nano-photocatalysts were well characterized for their structural, morphological, compositional, optical, and photocatalytic applications. The structural study revealed the crystalline nature of the composite with the coexistence of the individual phase of Ag3PO4 and the zeolite-A. The morphological investigation depicts the formation of 3D cubical structures having nanoscale dimensions, compositional analysis indicated the purity of the nanostructures consisting of only desired elements. The optical analysis revealed Ag3PO4 as visible light active and zeolite-A as ultraviolet active material. In the case of Ag3PO4@zeolite-A, zeolite provides a large surface area for the adsorption of MB dye, and Ag3PO4 acts as a principal visible light-absorbing material, to catalyze the degradation of MB dye. The composites prepared reduced the chances of charge recombination and inhibit the photo corrosion of the visible light active material Ag3PO4.