Abstract
Silver orthophosphate (Ag3PO4) had been reported as an excellent candidate to split water or decompose pollutants with high efficiency in visible light region, yet is not stable due to the reduction of silver ion. In this work, an easy-fabricated method (in situ photoinduced reduction) was provided to enhance the stability of Ag3PO4 for its possible application as a visible-light sensitive photocatalyst. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence spectra (PL) and Photoelectrochemical measurements. The Ag3PO4/Ag photocatalysts showed strong photocatalytic activity for decomposition of RhB dye or phenol-X-3B mixture under visible light irradiation (λ> 420 nm) and can be used repeatedly. The possible mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic properties of the Ag3PO4/Ag hybrid was also discussed. It was found that •OH and holes take priority over •O2- radicals in serving as the main oxidant in the Ag3PO4/Ag photocatalytic system. Especially, the experimental results indicate that the surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles and a large negative charge of PO43- ions as well as high separation efficiency of e--h+ pairs, facilitated the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of the Ag3PO4/Ag composite. The results indicated that Ag3PO4/Ag is an efficient and stable visible-light-driven photocatalyst.
Highlights
In recent years, heterogeneous photocatalysis has attracted considerable attention as a promising “green” technology for solving environmental problems as well as providing renewable energy sources
Competition between the transfer and recombination processes of photogenerated charge carriers is an important factor determining the photocatalytic performance of semiconductors
As for Ag3PO4/Ag sample which was prepared through light-induced method for pristine Ag3PO4, the diffraction peaks located at 38.1°, 44.3°, 64.3° and 77.5° can be attributed to the (111), (200), (220) and (311) planes of metallic Ag (JCPDS file no. 04-0783), respectively, which were marked with “ ” in the graph
Summary
Heterogeneous photocatalysis has attracted considerable attention as a promising “green” technology for solving environmental problems as well as providing renewable energy sources. The environmental problem caused by organic pollutants has increased with the rapid development of industry and become a severe threat to human beings[1]. In this regard, semiconductor photocatalysis is one of the advanced physicochemical processes applicable in the photodegradation of environmental organic pollutants and toxicmaterials. The unavoidable fast recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in the semiconductor decreases the photocatalytic efficiency. Competition between the transfer and recombination processes of photogenerated charge carriers is an important factor determining the photocatalytic performance of semiconductors
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