Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities of Ag_3PO_4/MWCNT nanocomposites fabricated by facile in situ precipitation method

摘要

The Ag_3PO_4/MWCNT nanocomposites were facilely fabricated via in situ precipitation method by adding (NH_4)_2HPO_4 into the mixture of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and AgNO_3 solution under stirring. The as-prepared Ag_3PO_4/MWCNT nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area (BET) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The TEM results showed that the Ag_3PO_4 nanoparticles were distributed on the surface of MWCNT uniformly with an average diameter of 70 nm, indicating excellent loading result. The photocatalytic activities of Ag_3PO_4/MWCNT nanocomposites were investigated by degrading methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG) under visible-light irradiation. It was found that the Ag_3PO_4/MWCNT nanocomposite exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance with enhanced photocatalytic efficiency and good photostability compared with bare Ag_3PO_4. Furthermore, a possible mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidative degradation was also discussed.