Ag3PO4 nanoparticle decorated on SiO2 spheres for efficient visible light photocatalysis

A visible light active photocatalyst, Ag3PO4 (20 nm), in combination with mesoporous SiO2 spheres (200 nm) leads to enhanced photocatalytic activity (similar to 52 times) in the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye compared to bare silver phosphate. The lifetime of the charge carriers is increased by nearly four times (from 0.05 to 0.20 ns) in the composite. The silver phosphate-silica composite has almost no loss of activity after 5 cycles under light irradiation, indicating that the composite has good photocatalytic stability. The addition of SiO2 also reduces the cost of the composite catalyst.