Ag@AgCl plasmon-induced sensitized ZnO particle for high-efficiency photocatalytic property under visible light

Metal-semiconductor compounds, such as Ag@AgX (X = Cl, Br, I), enable visible light absorption and separation of photogenerated electron-hole through surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. However, the electron-hole generated and separated by light are vulnerable in Ag@AgX phase because of the occurrence of secondary recombined. In order to more effectively utilize the SPR photocatalytic effect, a heterojunction interface electric field was implemented effectively by introducing some cost-effective semiconductor materials with wide band gap to Ag@AgX compound, thereby preventing photogenerated electrons from secondarily compounding with the holes. In this article, by mixing 500 nm diameter ZnO and Ag@AgX compounds with mole ratio 1:1, studies show that 15 min illumination under visible light can complete degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), and indicate a high stability of photocatalytic degradation. Through Mott-Schottky plots and photoinduced l-t curve, the results show that through the ZnO/Ag@AgClcomposition, heterojunction interface electric field can be formed effectively, thus increasing the separation efficiency and transfer speed of photogenerated electrons and holes, and improving the photocatalytic performance. Meanwhile, Ag@AgC1 can implement the photo sensitization of ZnO with high efficiency through SPR effect, which will enlarge the response range of photocatalyst to the visible area. 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.