In-situ synthesis of visible-light-driven plasmonic Ag/AgCl-CdWO4 photocatalyst

Novel plasmonic photocatalyst of Ag/AgCl-CdWO4 was successfully synthesized via an in situ loading and photoreduction process. The as-obtained Ag/AgCl-CdWO4 samples were characterized by various analytical techniques. The Ag/AgCl-CdWO4 nanocomposites present a remarkable visible-light photocatalytic activity. The optimal Ag/AgCl-CdWO4 can completely degrade RhB, MB and MO within 30 min. Moreover, 95% of phenol can also be degraded within 90 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was mainly attributed to two factors: the strong SPR of Ag NPs would improve the visible-light absorbance effectively. Simultaneously, the photo-generated electron-hole pairs can transfer and separate among the Ag/AgCl-CdWO4 hybrid effectively.