Graphene oxide wrapped Ag3PO4 sub-microparticles with highly enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability under visible light irradiation

• Graphene oxide wrapped Ag3PO4 sub-microparticles were prepared.
• The photocatalytic activity of Ag3PO4 is increased by 6 times by GO wrapping.
• The hybrid photocatalysts exhibited excellent stability.

Graphene oxide (GO) wrapped Ag3PO4 sub-microparticles were prepared by in situ deposition–precipitation method. By hybridization of Ag3PO4 with GO nanosheets, a 6-fold enhancement in the photodegradation rate toward orange methyl (MO) under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm) was observed compared with the pure Ag3PO4 sub-microsparticles. The hybrid photocatalysts also exhibited excellent stability in the successive MO degradation experiments. The highly enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability were mainly attributed to the quick transfer of the photogenerated electrons from Ag3PO4 to GO nanosheets, which could effectively suppress the electron–hole pairs recombination and thus inhibit the photocorrosion of Ag3PO4. These high-efficient and stable hybrid photocatalysts were expected to show considerable potential applications in wastewater treatment and water splitting.

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