Red AgCl/SmOCl Z-scheme composites: Enhanced photocatalytic performance under sunlight

The AgCl/SmOCl composites photocatalyst was prepared by a simple photoreduction method with SmOCl and AgNO3 as raw materials. The morphology and crystal structure of SmOCl remain unchanged after combined with AgCl. The photocatalytic activity of the AgCl/SmOCl composites was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) solution under simulate sunlight. Compared with the SmOCl samples, the AgCl/SmOCl composites remarkably exhibited enhanced (about 16-fold) photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of Rhodamine B. After 40 min of simulate sunlight irradiation 95% of RhB was decomposed. The enhanced AgCl/SmOCl performance was contributed to the new Z-scheme structure.