Enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of RhB by AgIO3/WO3 composites

A novel heterojunction photocatalyst AgIO3/WO3 was fabricated through hydrothermal and chemical precipitation methods. The AgIO3/WO3 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray detector, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). Moreover, the photocatalytic activities of AgIO3/WO3 samples were estimated by the decomposition of organic dye RhB under visible light irradiation (lambda >420 nm). The result reveled that AgIO3/WO3 composite showed higher photocatalytic performance than pure AgIO3 and WO3 photocatalysts, and 50% AgIO3/WO3 heterojunction was recorded to have the optimum rate constant. The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity could be attributed chiefly to the effective separation and migration of photogenerated electron-hole pairs at the interface of AgIO3 and WO3. In addition, radical trap experiments confirmed that the OH was the primary reactive species during the photodecomposition of RhB. A possible photocatalytic mechanism of RhB decomposition over AgIO3/WO3 heterostructures was also presented. (C) 2016 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.