Green Ag/AgCl as an Effective Plasmonic Photocatalyst for Degradation and Mineralization of Methylthioninium Chloride

Abstract

A green synthesis of Ag/AgCl with an exceptional SPR and photocatalysis property is greatly benefit to the environmental application especially pollutant removal. In this work, a novel green plasmonic photocatalysis of Ag/AgCl nanocatalyst using aqueous garlic extract (Allium Sativum L.) was successfully synthesized. The allicin and organosulfur compounds in the garlic can act as reducing agents in the green synthesis process. The nanocatalyst properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffractometer. The light-harvesting property was investigated by UV-vis absorption spectra which reveals its visible light absorption capability owing surface plasmon resonance behavior of Ag nanoparticles. The degradation and mineralization of methylthioninium chloride (MC) using this photocatalyst were evaluated under visible light and natural solar irradiation. Surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles and the presence of organosulfur from the garlic extract facilitated adsorption of MC onto the particle surface, promoting greater degradation. The photocatalytic reaction under visible light can be explained by the pseudo first-order pattern with the highest reaction rate of 0.5829 mg L−1 min−1 at pH 10. The photocatalytic activity of the Ag/AgCl under the natural sunlight reached 90% and 75% for MC and total organic carbon (TOC), respectively. The intermediate products detected during MC degradation under sunlight irradiation before final transformation to CO2, H2O, HNO3, and H2SO4 were also reported. The simplicity of Ag/AgCl green synthesis with the photocatalysis properties under visible light and sunlight can offer the convenience of applying these nanoparticles for pollutant removal in water treatment processes.

Electromagnetic Flowmeter for Rapid Metering of Microfluidics Based on an Ag/AgCl/Porous Graphite Electrode Sensor

“…The insert in Figure c indicates the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns of the prepared Ag/AgCl composite. It shows the monocrystal-like features of the AgCl mesocrystals. − Besides, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mappings and EDS elemental analysis of Ag/AgCl reveal that the sample is composed of Ag and Cl elements, and Ag and Cl elements are uniformly dispersed over the porous graphite (panels d–f of Figure ). These observations are in agreement with the TEM results above.…”

Electrokinetic Properties of Mesoporous Vitreous Membranes Doped by Silver-Silver Halides

“…As known, silver/silver halide (Hal = Cl, Br, I) nanoparticles (NPs), due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, exhibit excellent photoactivity [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Such silver-containing materials are considered as efficient and highly stable plasmonic photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants and hydrogen evolution from water splitting under solar irradiation [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Ag/AgHal nanoparticles also possess promising antibacterial activity [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”