Fabrication and Photocatalytic Activity of Ag3PO4/T-ZnOw Heterostructures

Abstract

The Ag3PO4/tetrapod-like ZnO whisker (T-ZnOw) heterostructures were prepared via a simple precipitation method. The obtained heterostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photodegradation activity of Ag3PO4/T-ZnOw was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. When the molar ratio of Ag3PO4 to T-ZnOw was 10% (Ag3PO4/T-ZnOw-2), the highest degradation efficiency (92.9%) could be achieved among the heterostructures. The photodegradation rate constant of Ag3PO4/T-ZnOw-2 (0.05179 min−1) was 3.59 times that of T-ZnOw (0.01444 min−1). Besides, the Ag3PO4/T-ZnOw-2 photocatalyst still possessed a degradation efficiency of 77.8% after four successive cycles. The Ag3PO4/T-ZnOw-2 catalyst had much higher photocatalytic activity than pure T-ZnOw and better stability and reusability than pure Ag3PO4. The effect of different scavengers on degradation efficiency was investigated, and the possible photocatalytic mechanism of the Ag3PO4/T-ZnOw photocatalyst was also put forward.

Cyclodextrin functionalization enhancement in a CA-β-CD/g-C3N4/Ag2CO3 Z-type heterojunction towards efficient photodegradation of organic pollutants

“…The binding energy peak at 531 eV is attributed to the Ag–O bond. 32 The O1s peak of CA-β-CD/CN/Ag 3 PO 4 at 531.5 eV mainly comes from Ag 3 PO 4 , 33 the peak at 531 eV was derived from Ag 2 CO 3 , 34 and the peak at 532.1 eV was attributed to the COO–ester group and C–OH bond (Fig. 2e).…”

Study on Challenges and Solutions for Enhancing Photocatalytic Activities of Ag3PO4 Nanoparticles for Degradation of Organic Dyes from Wastewater

“…As a result, the photocatalyst of Ag 3 PO 4 declined [15]. Instability of Ag 3 PO 4 is related to a decomposing of Ag 3 PO 4 in an aqueous solution, at high thermal heating and long irradiated light, so instability or photocorrosion of Ag 3 PO 4 is limited the use of Ag 3 PO 4 in practical application [31]. The recombination rates of photoexcited electrons and holes of Ag 3 PO 4 also reduce the photocatalytic activity of Ag 3 PO 4 owing to there being no scavenger of electrons and holes to suppress the reunion photogenerated charge carriers.…”

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by Ag/AgI/WO3·H2O composites

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Therefore, significant efforts have been made to develop novel effective and reusable photocatalysts with appropriate band gap structures to effectively utilize visible light. [10][11][12][13][14] In general, the construction of novel semiconductor heterojunctions helps realize improved photocatalytic performance compared with that of a single semiconductor photocatalyst for the photodegradation of organic contaminants. In this regard, the broadened spectral range of light absorption and the reduced electron-hole recombination are usually responsible for the improved photodegradation performance of composite photocatalysts.…”

“…Recently, semiconductor photocatalysis technique has been widely recognized as an effective and green method for removing most kinds of contaminants from wastewater 1–9 . Therefore, significant efforts have been made to develop novel effective and reusable photocatalysts with appropriate band gap structures to effectively utilize visible light 10–14 . In general, the construction of novel semiconductor heterojunctions helps realize improved photocatalytic performance compared with that of a single semiconductor photocatalyst for the photodegradation of organic contaminants.…”