Synthesis of three-dimensional AgI@TiO2 nanoparticles with improved photocatalytic performance

Three-dimensional (3D) TiO2 with an acanthosphere-like morphology composed of nanothorns has been used as a suitable support to fabricate a visible-light-induced 3D Agl@TiO2 nanophotocatalyst. The structural characterization revealed that the size of the obtained Agl@TiO2 nanocomposite was close to that of pristine TiO2 particles, where Agl nanoparticles were evenly dispersed on the surfaces of "thorns" of TiO2. The as-achieved 3D Agl@TiO2 nanophotocatalyst exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance towards photodegradation of organic pollutants, e.g., rhodamine B (RhB), in comparison with TiO2, P25, Agl and Agl@P25 with the same quantity. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to the strong visible light absorption and the defined interfaces between Agl nanoparticles and TiO2 nanothorns with efficient separation of photogenerated carriers. The excellent performance of the 3D Agl@TiO2 nanophotocatalyst suggests its promising applications in water treatment and environmental remediation.