Preparation and photo-catalytic activities of Ag/FeOOH/SBA-15 composite

In this study, we prepared a new visible light induced photo-catalyst Ag/FeOOH/SBA-15 using a facile deposition-photo-reduction method. Transmission electron-microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm techniques were used to study the morphology form, structure and the valence state of the nano-materials. According to UV-vis absorption spectra, Ag/α-FeOOH/SBA-15 had a better response to visible light than α-FeOOH/SBA-15. Phenol of 20 mg/L was used as a representative organic pollutant to evaluate the photo-catalytic efficiency of Ag/α-FeOOH/SBA-15 and α-FeOOH/SBA-15 catalysts in visible light (λ > 400 nm), 93% and 78% of phenol degradations could be achieved over Ag/α-FeOOH/SBA-15 and FeOOH/SBA-15 catalysts with 5 mmol/L H2O2 in 4 h. Moreover, the mechanism suggested that the high photo-catalytic activity is due to the charge separation, the surface plasmon resonance of metallic Ag particles in the region of visible light and generation of hydroxyl radical. This work is of importance in theory research and practical application of complex nano-composite.