Sonochemical synthesis and characterization of Ag/AgCl/Bi<inf>2</inf>MoO<inf>6</inf> as visible-light-driven photocatalyst for rhodamine B degradation

Abstract

Heterostructure Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites as visible-light-driven photocatalyst for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation were prepared by precipitation and sonochemical-assisted deposition method. The phase, morphology, oxidation state of element and optical properties of heterostructure Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible spectroscopy. In this research, the pure sample prepared by simple hydrothermal method was orthorhombic phase of Bi2MoO6 nanoplates with smooth surfaces. Upon being loaded with Ag/AgCl by sonochemical-assisted deposition method, AgCl and Ag nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of Bi2MoO6 nanoplates. The UV-visible spectra of Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites show visible light absorption higher than pure Bi2MoO6 nanoplates. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites was investigated through rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible light irradiation and compared with those of the Bi2MoO6 nanoplates and AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites. The photocatalytic efficiency of heterostructure Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites in degrading RhB under visible light irradiation is higher than those of Bi2MoO6 nanoplates and AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites. The photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites in degrading RhB is 99.70% under visible light irradiation within 30 min.