Hierarchically Plasmonic Z-Scheme Photocatalyst of Ag/AgCI Nanocrystals Decorated Mesoporous Single-Crystalline Metastable Bi_(20)TiO_(32) Nanosheets

摘要

The hierarchical photocatalysts of Ag-AgCI@Bi_(20)TiO_(32) Composites have been successfully synthesized by anchoring Ag—AgCl nanocrystals on the surfaces of mesoporous single-crystalline metastable Bi_(20)TiO_(32) nanosheets via a two-stage strategy for excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities in the Z-scheme system. First, the single-crystalline metastable Bi_(20)TiO_(32) nanosheets with tetragonal structures were prepared via a facile hydrofhermal process in assistance with the post-heat-treatment route using benzyl alcohol. Especially, the mesoporous Bi_(20)TiO_(32) nanosheets showed high photo catalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B dye under visible-light irradiation. Then, the as-prepared mesoporous Bi_(20)TiO_(32) nanosheets were used as a support for loading Ag—AgCl nanocrystals using the deposition-precipitation method and irradiation-reduction process to fabricate the Ag-AgCl@Bi_(20)TiO_(32) composites. Inspiringly, the hierarchical Ag-~AgCI@Bi_(20)TiO_(32) photocatalyst has the higher photocatalytic performance than Ag-AgCl nanocrystals and mesoporous Bi_(20)TiO_(32) nanosheets over the degradation of rhodamine B and acid orange 7 dyes, which is attributed to the effective charge transfer from plasmon-excited Ag nanocrystal to Bi_(20)TiO_(32) for the construction of a Z-scheme visible-light photocatalyst. This work could provide new insights into the fabrication of hierarchically plasmonic photocatalysts with high performance and facilitate their practical application in environmental issues.