Abstract
Through a facile method, Ag–decorated TiO2 (TiO2/Ag) plasmonic photocatalysts were fabricated successfully. Electrostatic-controlled self-assembly was applied to load silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on TiO2 nanospheres. In this experiment, the molar ratio of silver nitrate to trisodium citrate was adjusted aiming at regulating the size of Ag NPs. The TiO2/Ag samples exhibited higher photodegradation efficiency towards tetracycline (TC) under sunlight as compared to pure TiO2, owing to the unique surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. Detailed analysis was carried out via room–temperature photoluminescence (PL), photocurrent response, and UV–Vis spectroscopy, which suggested that Ag NPs significantly improved visible light absorption and inhibited the combination of photogenerated electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the durability test confirmed superior stability of TiO2/Ag in terms of photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, a possible mechanism of TC degradation by TiO2/Ag nanocomposites was proposed and discussed.
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