Synthesis of Ag3PO4–ZnO nanorod composites with high visible-light photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Ag3PO4 nanoparticles with 50–100nm in size distributed on the surface of ZnO nanorods with ca. 20nm in diameter and 1–2μm in length have been synthesized by a facile method. The Ag3PO4–ZnO nanorod composites had much higher photocatalytic activity toward degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation than pure ZnO nanorods, and had better recyclability and stability than pure Ag3PO4 nanoparticles. The Ag3PO4–ZnO nanorod composite with the molar ratio of Ag3PO4:ZnO=1:40 exhibited the highest photodegradation efficiency of RhB (93%), which was 1.5 times of pure ZnO nanorods.