A novel AgI/AgIO3 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity for organic dye removal

A novel AgI/AgIO3 heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared through a mild ion-exchange method at room temperature. Their photocatalytic activities were assessed by the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated solar light. The AgI/AgIO3 composites performed better photocatalytic activities than pure AgI and AgIO3 with 15 % AgI/AgIO3 heterojunction showing the highest photocatalytic efficiency among all the heterojunction samples. Moreover, the 15 % AgI/AgIO3 hybrid photocatalyst also showed excellent repeatability and stability during photocatalytic reaction. The improvement of photocatalytic performance can be attributed to effective separation of photoexcited electrons and holes at the interface of AgI/AgIO3 composites. Radical trap experiments determined that the O-2 center dot(-) radical was the main reactive species for the photodegradation of RhB.