Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity in AgI/BiOCOOH composite

AgI/BiOCOOH composite photocatalysts have been synthesized via a simple deposition-precipitation method. The crystal structure, microstructure, element valance, light and electrical properties of as prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-Vis DRS, PL, EIS and photocurrent response. The loading of AgI nanoparticles endowed BiOCOOH with good visible light absorption and photocatalytic activity for degrading rhodamine B. The composition with Ag:Bi = 1:1 exhibited the best photocatalytic activity. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be mainly attributed to the effective separation of the photogenerated carriers at the heterojunction. O-center dot(2-) and h(+) were suggested as the main reactive species in the photocatalytic reaction. In addition, the photocatalysts showed excellent stability over multiple reaction cycles. (C) 2018 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.