Magnetically separable Ag/AgBr/NiFe2O4 composite as a highly efficient visible light plasmonic photocatalyst

A magnetic Ag/AgBr/NiFe2O4 plasmonic photocatalyst was firstly prepared by coupling a hydrothermal route with a solvothermal method. The as-synthesized Ag/AgBr/NiFe2O4 was characterized by XRD, XPS, FE-SEM, UV-vis DRS, PL and BET surface area. Under visible light irradiation, the resulting Ag/AgBr/NiFe2O4 exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation compared with Ag/AgBr, which was ascribed to the heterostructured Ag/AgBr/NiFe2O4 and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag nanoparticles. Moreover, the Ag/AgBr/NiFe2O4 plasmonic photocatalyst can be recovered and recycled by a magnetic field along with good stability. A plausible mechanism is also proposed via active species trapping experiments, which indicating that the superoxide radicals (O2−
- ) are the main reactive oxygen species for RhB degradation in Ag/AgBr/NiFe2O4 suspension under visible light.