One-Step Synthesis of Ag@TiO2 Nanoparticles for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract

Polyamide network polymers (PNP) modified TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were decorated with Ag NPs in hydrothermal gel method, forming one-step synthesized photocatalysts, Ag@TiO2 NPs. The effect of PNP and the amount of Ag NPs added were investigated in this work. PNP acted as a nanocage to prevent TiO2 aggregation and capture Ag accurately, which could effectively control product sizes and improve dispersibility in solvents. Simultaneously, TiO2 NPs modified with Ag NPs exhibited remarkable photocatalytic effects. One-step synthesis simplified the experimental process and avoided the agglomeration of silver ions during the secondary reaction, achieving the purpose of uniform distribution at a specific location of TiO2 NPs. The prepared Ag@TiO2 NPs-0.5 could remove 79.49% of Methyl Orange (MO) after 3 h of ultraviolet light irradiation, which was 2.7 times higher than the reaction rate of pure TiO2 NPs. It also exhibited good photoactivity under Visible light conditions. Moreover, the mineralization rate of MO over the Ag@TiO2 NPs-0.5 could be up to 72.32% under UV light and 47.08% under Visible light irradiation, which revealed that the prepared catalysts could effectively degrade most of the MO to CO2 and H2O. The samples also demonstrated the excellent stability and easy recyclability with over 90% of the original catalytic level for MO degradation. The photocatalysts studied also exerted broad application prospects such as photovoltaic hydrogen production, electronic sensors and biomedicine.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance and Mechanism of Au@CaTiO3 Composites with Au Nanoparticles Assembled on CaTiO3 Nanocuboids

“…Enhancing the visible-light absorption of photocatalysts is the key point to make the best use of solar energy to drive the photocatalysis. Up to now, various strategies have been widely applied to modify semiconductor photocatalysts with the aim of facilitating the photoexcited e − /h + pair separation and widening their light absorption range [14,15,16,17,18,19,20].…”

Gram-scale synthesis of splat-shaped Ag–TiO2 nanocomposites for enhanced antimicrobial properties

“…This result showed that the water molecules were adsorbed by the hydroxyl groups (OH) present at the surface of the analyzed samples. The peaks at 1640.1, 1683.8, 1679.2 and 1782.6 correspond to the bending vibrational peak of the O–H bonds [ 9 ]. The UV spectra of the Ag–TiO 2 nanocomposite and pure TiO 2 NPs shows the optical properties of these materials ( Fig.…”

“…Among the various types of nanomaterials, silver (Ag), zinc oxide (ZnO), copper oxide (CuO), iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) and titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) are well recognized options due to their outstanding antibacterial properties. These nanoparticles have antibacterial activity due to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [ 9 – 11 ]; more specifically, Ag NPs have been widely used in many fields, such as dental filling, wound dressing, water treatment and textile fabrics [ 12 – 13 ]. However, issues have been raised concerning Ag-associated genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in human cells [ 14 ].…”

Facile Synthesis of Ag/TiO2 by Photoreduction Method and Its Degradation Activity of Methylene Blue under UV and Visible Light Irradiation

“…The TiO 2 from Evonik-Degussa (P25) has been known [1] [2] anatase and rutile structure, and the interface between these two phases is the active site. Doping silver on TiO 2 has been known to have plasmon effect and results in high activity under visible light irradiation [3] [4]. It was reported that silver particles can serve as electron traps assisting electron-hole separation.…”

“…As a consequence, several works belonging to the deposition of noble metal nanoparticles such as gold (Au) and silver (Ag) on TiO 2 nanoparticles and their application used as photocatalysts have been fulfilled with great success [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]. The photocatalytic activity of noble metal nanoparticles doped TiO 2 toward the degradation of various environmental pollutants, such as methylene blue, methylorange, rhodamine blue and 4-cholorophenol, has been well recorded[3]…”