Facile Synthesis of the Novel Ag₃VO₄/AgBr/Ag Plasmonic Photocatalyst with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Stability

Abstract

A novel ternary plasmonic Ag 3 VO 4 /AgBr/Ag hybrid photocatalyst was successfully fabricated via an in situ anion-exchange reaction between Ag 3 VO 4 and KBr, followed by light reduction. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV−visible diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (UV−vis DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of obtained photocatalysts were measured by the degradation of Rhodamine B and methylene blue under visible-light irradiation (λ ≥ 400 nm). As-prepared Ag 3 VO 4 /AgBr/Ag plasmonic photocatalysts exhibit wide absorption in the visible-light region and display superior visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities in degradation of organic contamination compared with pristine Ag 3 VO 4 , Ag 3 VO 4 /AgBr, and AgBr/Ag. This enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the synergistic effects between Ag 3 VO 4 /AgBr-based heterostructured semiconductor photocatalysis and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag nanoparticles (NPs). On the basis of UV−vis DRS and valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, a possible mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag 3 VO 4 /AgBr/Ag is proposed; the vectorial electron transfer driven by the matching band potentials of AgBr and Ag 3 VO 4 and the SPR of Ag NPs contribute to its high photocatalytic activity and the improved stability. Therefore, the present study provides helpful insight into the design of novel and highly efficient visible-light photocatalysts in the future.

Visible-light-driven photocatalytic inactivation of E. coli by Ag/AgX-CNTs (X=Cl, Br, I) plasmonic photocatalysts: Bacterial performance and deactivation mechanism

“…Therefore, a relative high concentration electrons on the surface of CNTs is formed, which can be trapped by O 2 and H 2 O to from H 2 O 2 (Eqs. (3)- (5)) [37,43,44]. These RSs, such as h + , e − and H 2 O 2 , could attack the E. coli, disrupt cell membrane and result in ultimate cell death (Eq.…”

Fabrication and high photocatalytic performance of noble metal nanoparticles supported on 3DOM InVO4–BiVO4 for the visible-light-driven degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue

“…Strong evidence reveals that the plasmonic effect not only plays a quite positive role in enhancing the rate of photocatalytic reactions on nearby semiconductors, but also possibly interacts with the entire solar spectrum when appropriate resonant wavelength and SPR intensity are obtained in a well-designed plasmonic nanostructure [1]. It has been reported that metal/semiconductor composite materials, such as Au/TiO 2 or Ag/N-TiO 2 composites [1], Ag@AgCl cubic cages with well-defined hollow interiors [4], hybrid nanoparticles with cubic AgCl cores and Ag nanograin coating [5], Ag nanoparticles/AgX (X = Cl, Br, and I) [6], Ag 3 VO 4 /AgBr/Ag ternary hybrids [7], showed significantly higher photocatalytic degradation rates than their single counterparts in a number of reactions [1]. Although much improved photocatalytic activities could be achieved over these metal/semiconductor composite materials, they still lacked the aforementioned optimized architecture.…”

Photocatalytic Performance of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Doped with Multi-metals

“…In addition, some of O 2 adsorbed on surface were reduced to O 2 -by e -and then converted to active hydroxyl radicals ( ), a strong oxidant, which persistently attacked the MO molecules until they are degraded completely (22,25). Meanwhile, the surface h + are apt to undergo charge transfer with adsorbed water molecules or surface-bound hydroxide species to generate active (26).…”