High-efficient Synthesis and Photocatalytic Properties of Ag/AgBr/TiO2 Monolithic Photocatalysts Using Sodium Alginate as Substrate

SA-Ag/AgBr/TiO2 monolithic photocatalysts with uniform particle size distribution was synthesized by using sodium alginate as a substrate. Its structure and morphology were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM. The optical properties and the surface area of the SA-Ag/AgBr/TiO2 monolithic photocatalysts were characterized by FT-IR and BET. The as-prepared photocatalyst with good stability exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance for degradation of RhB solution under both UV and visible light. The SA-Ag/AgBr/TiO2 monolithic photocatalyst with 12wt% Ag/AgBr/TiO2 display optimum properties i.e. about 100% degradation rate for the RhB solution for 60 min under UV irradiation and 54.1% degradation rate for the RhB solution under visible light irradiation for 120 min. Besides, after 5 cycles, the RhB degradation rate still keeps higher than 96%, showing an excellent reusability of the photocatalysts. The as-prepared SA-Ag/AgBr/TiO2 monolithic photocatalysts may effectively solve the problems including photocatalytic activity, secondary pollution and photocatalyst recycling.