PVP-Assisted Synthesis and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Ag/Ag₃PO₄Composites

Abstract

In the present work, a highly active visible-light-driven Ag/Ag3PO4 photocatalyst was synthesized through a simple poly (vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-assisted precipitation method. It was found that the photodegradation activity of RhB over Ag/ Ag3PO4 is superior to pure Ag3PO4 due to the combination of Ag nanoparticles. Study of the photocatalytic mechanism revealed that the degradation of RhB under visible light irradiation over the as-prepared Ag/Ag3PO4 is mainly via the direct hole oxidation mechanism. The Ag/Ag3PO4 photocatalyst keeps a high level of activity even though it is used for five times.