Excellent Degradation Activity Research Articles

The design, synthesis and anti-tumor mechanism study of new androgen receptor degrader

Targeted protein degradation using small molecules is a novel strategy for drug development. In order to solve the problem of drug resistance in the treatment of prostate cancer, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC) was introduced into the design of anti-prostate cancer derivatives. In this work, we synthesized two series of selective androgen receptor degraders (SARDs) containing the hydrophobic degrons with different linker, and then investigated the structure-activity relationships of these hybrid compounds. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited moderate to good activity against all the cancer cell lines selected. Among them, compound A9 displayed potent inhibitory activity against LNCaP prostate cancer cell line with IC50 values of 1.75 μM, as well as excellent AR degradation activity. Primary mechanism studies elucidated compound A9 arrested cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and induced a mild apoptotic response in LNCaP cells. Further study indicated that the degradation of AR was mediated through proteasome-mediated process. For all these reasons, compound A9 held promising potential as anti-proliferative agent for the development of highly efficient SARDs for drug-resistance prostate cancer therapies.

Fabrication of a novel 3D E-Fe2O3-Pi-MoS2 film with highly enhanced carrier mobility and photoelectrocatalytic activity

A novel 3D E-Fe2O3-Pi-MoS2 film was fabricated for water oxidation and environmental remediation. The nonmetal doping with phosphorus and vertically oriented MoS2 nanosheets were successfully constructed on Fe2O3 substrate, and the electrochemical modification further enhanced its photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) activity. The photocurrent density of E-Fe2O3-Pi-MoS2 for water oxidation was 30 times or 19.4 times higher than that of Fe2O3 under visible light or UV–vis light illumination at 0.45 V vs. Ag/AgCl, respectively. E-Fe2O3-Pi-MoS2 film also showed excellent PEC activity for phenol degradation (93.73%) and good stability. Hydroxyl radicals and holes were main active species. The remarkable activity of E-Fe2O3-Pi-MoS2 film could be attributed to the synergistic effects of nonmetal doping with phosphorous, vertically oriented MoS2 nanosheets fabrication and the electrochemical modification treatment, which significantly improved the charge transfer and enhanced the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. This work provides an effective, environmentally friendly, and low-cost semiconductor materials for sustainable energy and environmental application.

A Fenton-Like Nanocatalyst Based on Easily Separated Magnetic Nanorings for Oxidation and Degradation of Dye Pollutant.

In this study, uniform Fe3O4 magnetic nanorings (Fe3O4-MNRs) were prepared through a simple hydrothermal method. The morphology, magnetic properties, and structure of the product were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The Fe3O4-MNRs were used as Fenton-like catalysts in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and showed excellent Fenton-catalytic activity for degradation of organic dyes such as Methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB), and Bromophenol blue (BPB). Furthermore, the obtained Fe3O4-MNRs could be recycled after used for several times and still remained in a relative high activity and could rapidly be separated from the reaction medium using a magnet without considerable loss. All results reveal that Fe3O4-MNRs have potential for the treatment of dyes pollutants.

Octahedral morphology of NiO with (111) facet synthesized from the transformation of NiOHCl for the NOx detection and degradation: experiment and DFT calculation

NiO with polar (111) facets was successfully synthesized from the transformation of a layered NiOHCl, exhibiting excellent NOx detection and degradation activity.

Yolk-shell structured Fe@void@mesoporous silica with high magnetization for activating peroxymonosulfate

Sulfate radical anion (SO4⿢⿿) based Fenton-like reaction have recently received a large quantity of attention owing to their strong oxidative capacity and high selectivity toward organic pollutants. However, the development of a high-efficient catalyst for activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) with a fast separation is still challengeable. Herein, magnetic mesoporous silica composites with a yolk-shell structure (Fe@void@mSiO2) have been prepared via a successive coating strategy, followed by a high-temperature in-situ treatment and demonstrated as a high-efficient and fast magnetic separable catalyst for the activation of PMS. The resultant material possesses a well-defined yolk⿿shell structure with high specific surface area (⿼495.0⿿m2/g), uniform pore size (⿼6.9⿿nm) and super large magnetic susceptibility (⿼105⿿emu/g). Owing to the unique properties, the material possesses an excellent degradation activity for tetracyclines (TC), which is much higher than the commercialized Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) nanoparticles. Additionally, the catalyst is able to work over a broad pH range and be quickly recycled by using an external magnetic field. This research provides a promising strategy for the synthesis and design of multifunctional catalyst for the Fenton-like process.

Static and continuous flow photoelectrocatalytic treatment of antibiotic wastewater over mesh of TiO2 nanotubes implanted with g-C3N4 nanosheets

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) especially continuous flow PEC process for organic wastewater treatment greatly depends on both catalytic capacity and practical availability of electrode materials. In this study, g-C3N4 nanosheets are implanted into TiO2 nanotube arrays mesh (TCNs) through direct calcination of TiO2 nanotube array mesh loading melamine precursor. The TCNs photoelectrodes exhibit excellent PEC activity in organic pollutant degradation. Typically, almost 100% of tetracycline (TC, an emerging refractory antibiotic pollutant) is removed in 2 h and TOC removal reaches to 93% in 3 h under simulated solar irradiation at 1 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Theoretical calculations are performed to predict the primary reactive sites for radical species attack and the intermediates are identified. Meanwhile, the ecotoxicity of TC-containing wastewater greatly decrease after PEC treatment. Impressively, because of the mesh screen effect and high catalytic capacity of the photoelectrode, continuous flow PEC process keeps 80% removal efficiency of TC in real wastewater in the absence of additional background electrolyte. After prolonging 20 h, the level of treatment is highly stable. This work would set an example for potential large-scale treatment of organic wastewater using PEC process.

Novel class of 7-Oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene sulfonamides with long alkyl chains displaying improved estrogen receptor α degradation activity

Hormone therapy is widely used in clinic for breast cancer treatment, such as tamoxifen, but long-term use can cause drug resistance. In this regard, a strategy based on small molecule-induced protein degradation, i.e. selective estrogen receptor downregulator (SERD), might be an effective alternative to hormone therapy for breast cancer. However, most of the SERD candidates involve very limited scaffolds and are still in clinical trials, and none of them has been approved for marketing. In this study, a series of novel 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene sulfonamide (OBHSA) derivatives with long alkyl chains were identified as novel SERDs. We found that the position and the length of alkyl side chain have significant effect on the biological activity of the SERD compounds and with the six-carbon side chain was the best. Among them, compounds 23a and 36 displayed potent inhibitory activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line with IC50 values of 0.84 μM and 0.77 μM, respectively, as well as excellent ERα degradation activity. Primary mechanism study indicated that the degradation of ERα is mediated through proteasome-mediated process. Flow cytometry analysis of apoptosis of 36 suggested that the effect of this type compounds on MCF-7 cells is associated with apoptosis. As such, these compounds have shown potential to become promising leads for the development of highly efficient SERDs for drug-resistance breast cancer therapies.

Construction of the biomass carbon quantum dots modified heterojunction Bi2WO6/Cu2O photocatalysis for enhancing light utilization and mechanism insight

In order to achieve the rational use of biomass resources and obtain efficient visible-light-responsive photocatalysts, the CQDs/Bi2WO6/Cu2O is firstly synthesized, and exhibits excellent degradation activity under visible light for tetracycline (TC) degradation. The excellent photocatalytic performance of CQDs/Bi2WO6/Cu2O is due to the heterojunction of Bi2WO6/Cu2O which can effectively promote the separation of electron-hole pairs. Meanwhile, the up-conversion effect of CQDs can enrich electrons and orient conductive electrons. Moreover, the possible photocatalytic mechanisms including transfer behaviors of charge carriers, generation reactive species, degrading intermediate products of TC are revealed in depth. This work may provide a new strategy for designing high stability and strong visible-light-response photocatalysts utilizing earth-abundant and low-cost natural materials.

In Situ Ion Exchange Synthesis of Cauliflower-like AgBr/Ag3PO4/Sulfonated Polystyrene Sphere Heterojunction Photocatalyst With Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

The cauliflower-like AgBr/Ag3PO4/sulfonated polystyrene sphere (SPS) heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared using wastewater containing silver ion and SPS as raw materials via in situ ion change method. The AgBr/Ag3PO4/SPS photocatalyst was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–Vis DRS). The results showed that AgBr nanoparticles and Ag3PO4 nanoparticles are highly dispersed on the surface of sulfonated polystyrene. And the heterogeneous junction structures are also formed between AgBr and Ag3PO4, which is benefit for the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Hence, the AgBr/Ag3PO4/SPS photocatalyst had an excellent activity for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in water under visible light irradiation. The cyclic test results showed that the AgBr/Ag3PO4/SPS photocatalyst also had a good stability.

Flower-like silver bismuthate supported on nitrogen-doped carbon dots modified graphene oxide sheets with excellent degradation activity for organic pollutants

In this study, a new ternary AgBiO3/GO/NCDs composite (GO = graphene oxide, NCDs = nitrogen-doped carbon dots) has been successfully prepared through in-situ growth of flower-like AgBiO3 on GO/NCDs complex support. The AgBiO3/GO/NCDs composite exhibits significantly enhanced degradation activities towards organic pollutants of rhodamine B, phenol and tetracycline. Especially, the refractory tetracycline (20 mg L−1) can be completely removed within 6.0 min with a dosage of 30 mg of AgBiO3/GO/NCDs under the assistance of peroxymonosulfate (PMS, 0.2 mM). It is revealed that GO in the composite can facilitate the quick and efficient electron transfer and improve the generation of reactive oxygen species during the degradation process, while the NCDs may play double roles as both the electron-acceptor and the reactive site. Besides, the electrons can be captured by PMS to produce plenty of sulfate radicals (SO4−) with very strong oxidation ability. All these factors collaboratively promote the degradation efficiency of AgBiO3/GO/NCDs towards organic pollutants. The excellent degradation activities of AgBiO3/GO/NCDs endow it with potential application in wastewater purification.

Fabrication of nanocomposite photocatalyst CuBi2O4/Bi3ClO4 for removal of acid brown 14 as water pollutant under visible light irradiation.

In the present study, CuBi2O4/Bi3ClO4 nanocomposites have been fabricated via an improved Pechini sol-gel process using the mixtures of various gelling agents and polybasic acids. This work shows that by controlling the reaction conditions such as kind of polybasic acids, gelling agents, pH and mole ratio of polybasic acid to total metals, the CuBi2O4/Bi3ClO4 nanocomposites with ultrafine sphere-like, irregular polyhedral-like, plate-like and cubic-like morphologies were prepared. The phase, elemental composition, morphology and optical characteristics of as-synthesized CuBi2O4/Bi3ClO4 nanostructures were analyzed utilizing UV-Vis, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, FT-IR, XRD, TOC and EDS techniques. Furthermore, the CuBi2O4/Bi3ClO4 nanocomposites exhibited excellent TOC removal (75%) and photocatalytic activity (92%) to photodegradation of acid brown 14 azo dye as water pollutants under visible light irradiation. The excellent degradation activity of CuBi2O4/Bi3ClO4 photocatalyst can be attributed to the strong visible light absorption, high charge separation efficiency, fine particle size distribution and proper band gap of the nanocomposite. In addition, the reliable photocatalytic mechanism was discussed on the basis of the radical trapping study, which revealed the h+ and O2- radicals were the prevailing active species in the photocatalytic process.

The preparation and characterization of CaMg(CO3)2@Ag2CO3/Ag2S/NCQD nanocomposites and their photocatalytic performance in phenol degradation

Using CaMg(CO3)2 as hard template, CaMg(CO3)2@Ag2CO3 microspheres were first obtained via a fast cation exchange process. Then, CaMg(CO3)2@Ag2CO3/Ag2S was fabricated by further anion exchange. Finally, trace nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) were coupled into CaMg(CO3)2@Ag2CO3/Ag2S and obtained CaMg (CO3)2@Ag2CO3/Ag2S/NCQD nanocomposites (< 380 nm). Different characterization techniques, e.g., XRD, N2 physical adsorption, SEM, TEM, UV-vis, FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, TPR, photoluminescence, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy test, were applied to investigate the physicochemical property of the as-prepared samples. The photocatalytic properties were evaluated by phenol degradation under simulated sunlight illumination. The results demonstrated that with a very low content of Ag2CO3 (0.67 wt%) and Ag2S (1.72 wt%) and a trace of NCQDs (0.46 at.%), the CaMg(CO3)2@Ag2CO3/Ag2S/NCQD nanocomposites exhibited excellent activity and stability for phenol degradation. The reasons for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity and stability are due to that the coexistence of trace Ag2S and NCQDs can effectively improve the texture property of photocatalyst and effectively promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, resulting in more radicals (h+ and·O2−) to destroy the phenol. This work provided a new method to develop low-cost Ag-based semiconductor photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

A novel Z-scheme sonocatalyst system, Er3+:Y3Al5O12@Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4-Au-BiVO4, and application in sonocatalytic degradation of sulfanilamide

A novel Z-scheme coated composite, Er3+:Y3Al5O12@Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4-Au-BiVO4, was designed for sonocatalytic degradation of sulfanilamide and fabricated by sol-hydrothermal and calcination methods. The prepared sample was characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. In Er3+:Y3Al5O12@Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4-Au-BiVO4, Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4 and BiVO4 form a Z-scheme sonocatalytic system, Er3+:Y3Al5O12 as an up-conversion luminescence agent (from visible-light to ultraviolet-light) provides the ultraviolet-light for satisfying the energy demand of wide band-gap Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4 and Au nanoparticles as co-catalyst forms more active sites to enrich electrons. Also, Au nanoparticles as conductive channels promotes the electrons (e−) from conduction band of BiVO4 to transfer to valence band of Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4. Due to the characteristics of valence state diversity, the Fe3+ and V5+ constitute a redox reaction recombination system, which can also push electrons (e−) on conduction band of BiVO4 to quickly transfer to valence band of Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4. The sonocatalytic activity of Er3+:Y3Al5O12@Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4-Au-BiVO4 nanocomposite was detected through degradation of sulfanilamide under ultrasonic irradiation. A high sonocatalytic degradation ratio (95.64%) of sulfanilamide can be obtained when the conditions of 10.00 mg/L sulfanilamide, 1.00 g/L Er3+:Y3Al5O12@Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4-Au-BiVO4, 300 min ultrasonic irradiation and 100 mL total volume were adopted. Some factors such as ultrasonic irradiation time and cycle number on the sonocatalytic degradation efficiency are also investigated by using TOC and UV–vis spectroscopy. Subsequently, the effects of hydroxyl radicals (OH) and hole scavengers were investigated to elaborate the mechanism. The researches show that the prepared Z-scheme Er3+:Y3Al5O12@Ni(Fe0.05Ga0.95)2O4-Au-BiVO4 coated composite displayed an excellent sonocatalytic activity in degradation of sulfanilamide under ultrasonic irradiation.

Controlled formation of Ag2S/Ag Janus nanoparticles using alkylamine as reductant surfactants

Exploiting the formation mechanism of multicomponent nanomaterials will enable the control of their components or morphologies to enhance their performance for a given application. Herein, we demonstrated a facile controlled synthetic approach to Ag2S/Ag janus nanoparticles through thermal decomposition of single-source precursor silver diethyldithiocarbamate, in which the formation of the heterodimers was determined by the reductant surfactant of octadecylamine. Only if the ratio of octadecylamine (ODA) and oleic acid (OA) was equal or larger than 2:1, this thermal decomposition resulted in the successful formation of janus Ag2S/Ag nanoparticles, which is different from the situation that less ODA led to the formation of Ag2S single component nanoparticles. Dynamic growth results also indicated that the Ag2S/Ag heterodimer structure formed in the nucleation stage. The as-prepared Ag2S/Ag Janus nanoparticles exhibited continuous adsorption window in UV–vis-NIR region and emitted NIR fluorescence at 980 nm. Meanwhile, these nanoparticles showed excellent catalytical degradation activity for methyl blue, which is promising for organic catalysis and pollutant removal application.

Synthesis and photo-/electro-catalytic properties of a 3-D supramolecular framework based on [HxAs2Mo6O26](6−x)− and {Cu-diz} complexes

Herein, an arsenomolybdate, {Cu(diz)4(H2O)2}[{Cu(diz)2(H2O)2}2{As2Mo6O26}]·2H2O (diz = 1,2-diazole) (1), has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR, TG, XPS, PXRD, and UV–Vis-NIR. The {Cu-diz} complexes link the [As2Mo6O26]6− polyoxoanions, forming a 1-D infinite chain. The 2-D layer is constructed from 1-D chains through hydrogen bonds. Adjacent layers and free {Cu(diz)4(H2O)2} complexes are fused through hydrogen bonding to form a 3-D topological framework with symbol of {414·610·84}{4}2. Compound 1 exhibits luminescence at room temperature, excellent degradation activity for four different organic dyes (RhB, MB, MO, and AP) under UV irradiation. The photocatalytic mechanism of 1 is discussed in detail. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic activity of 1 toward hydrogen peroxide has also been studied.

Facile preparation of Ag–Ag2S hetero-dendrites with high visible light photocatalytic activity

A stable and highly efficient Ag–Ag2S hetero-dendrites (HDs) photocatalyst has been obtained via an extremely facile electrodeposition and subsequently in situ sulfuration route. The SEM and TEM show well-defined uniform dendrites morphology with an average diameter about 30 nm. In addition, the absorption spectra of Ag–Ag2S HDs exhibit strong absorption in both visible and NIR regions. The EIS indicates that the low charge transfer resistance of Ag–Ag2S HDs enhances the photocatalytic activity. The prepared HDs-4 photocatalyst with moderate degree of vulcanization shows excellent activity for degradation the methylene blue (MB) under the sunlight irradiation owing to the suitable ratios of Ag–Ag2S. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the favorable synergistic effects between Ag and Ag2S materials, such as huge extended absorption of solar light, low charge transfer resistance and high electron–hole separation efficiency. Moreover, radical scavenger experiments confirmed that superoxide radicals and holes were the main reactive species for MB degradation. Meanwhile, the Ag–Ag2S HDs displays good photocatalytic stability after being recycled five times.

Core-shell structured α-Fe2O3@CeO2 heterojunction for the enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

CeO2-coated α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (α-Fe2O3@CeO2) with the enhanced photocatalytic activity were synthesized by a hydrothermal route and performed for the visible light driven photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB). The photocatalytic activity of α-Fe2O3@CeO2 is greatly affected by the thickness of CeO2 shell under the same conditions. The core-shell structured α-Fe2O3@CeO2 sample exhibited a narrower band gap energy in comparison to the pure α-Fe2O3 and CeO2 bulks, leading to the excellent photocatalytic activity and stability for the degradation of MB under visible light irradiation after five cycle times. The core-shell structured α-Fe2O3@CeO2 sample presented higher degradation activity than that of the supported 8-Fe/CeO2 bulks with optimized α-Fe2O3 loading of 8%. It can be ascribed to the Ce4+/Ce3+ redox couple and the heterojunction interfaces of core-shell structured α-Fe2O3@CeO2 sample, which can promote the electrons transfer and restrain the photoexcited electron-hole recombination, leading to the excellent degradation activity under visible light irradiation.

Decolorization of mordant yellow 1 using Aspergillus sp. TS-A CGMCC 12964 by biosorption and biodegradation

ABSTRACTIn this report, the decolorization features of extracellular enzymes and mycelia separately prepared from Aspergillus sp. TS-A CGMCC 12,964 (120 h) were investigated. The fermentation broth of TS-A degraded 98.6% of Mordant Yellow 1 (50 mg/L) at an initial pH 6 within 1 h with over 70% of the dye (50 mg/L) degraded by extracellular enzymes and 18.8% removed by live mycelia. The degradation products of the dye were analyzed by UV-Vis and FTIR spectra. The decolorization rates of extracellular enzymes and mycelia were examined under different contact periods, dye concentrations and pH values. The extracellular enzymes exhibited excellent degradation activity under weak acidic conditions. In addition, biosorption models of mycelia fitted well the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. Although the decolorization process was achieved through the synergistic effects of mycelia and extracellular enzymes, decolorization was dominated by the biodegradation activity of the extracellular enzymes from TS-A.

Fabrication of Yolk/Shell Partially Inverse Spinel Cobalt Ferrite/Mesoporous Silica Nanostructured Catalysts for Organic Pollutants Degradation by Peroxymonosulfate Activation

Sulfate radical based advanced oxidation process has received popular attention in organic pollutants degradation recently, including which, cobalt ferrite heterogeneous catalyst was reported to be an effective activator. However, issues of particle aggregation and metal leaching still made the activity and stability not so satisfactory. In this study, well-defined partially inverse spinel cobalt ferrite/mesoporous silica ((Co x Fe1−x )[Co1−x Fe1+x ]O4@mSiO2) nanostructured catalysts with uniform yolk/shell architecture were synthesized successfully through a hard-templating method for the first time. The prepared catalysts were characterized by various techniques including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N2 physical adsorption/desorption. And moreover, Mossbauer spectroscopy was employed to confirm the detailed structure of the partially inverse spinel cobalt ferrite. It was shown that the synthesized catalysts consisted of (Co0.21Fe0.79)[Co0.79Fe1.21]O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in mSiO2 hollow spheres and the content of cobalt ferrite can be controlled by varying experimental conditions. The catalysts were utilized as peroxymonosulfate catalytic activator for organic pollutant degradation. Both sulfate radical and hydroxyl radical were certified as intermediate active species during the dye pollutants degradation process. Compared to the conventional mSiO2 supported and naked cobalt ferrites, the yolk/shell nanostructured catalysts exhibited higher activity, excellent reaction stability and sintering resistance. It is clear that the design of such yolk/shell architecture can promote the development of highly efficient catalytic nanomaterials applied to degradation of organic pollutants. Well-defined yolk/shell (Co0.21Fe0.79)[Co0.79Fe1.21]O4@mSiO2 nanostructured catalysts were successfully synthesized through hard-templating method and exhibited excellent activity and stability in dyes degradation.

Synthesis and visible-light photocatalytic property of Ag/GO/g-C3N4 ternary composite

Ag/GO/g-C3N4 composites were successfully synthesized by a sonochemical method. The structure and properties of the composites at various Ag loadings were characterized, and the Ag nanoparticles were confirmed by XRD, TEM and XPS measurements. UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed the presence of surface plasmon peak for Ag at 550nm. The Ag/GO/g-C3N4 composites demonstrated excellent activity in photocatalytic degradation of Rh B under visible light irradiation, and 5% of Ag nanoparticle was found to be the most suitable loading. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the role of GO nanosheets and Ag nanoparticles. The GO nanosheets acted as electrons transporter and acceptor in the composite and inhibited the charge recombination. The Ag nanoparticles acted as an electron traps to facilitate the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and promoted interfacial electrons transfer. The OHads and h+ were the major radicals to be involved in the photocatalytic process.