Size effects of Ag nanoparticles on plasmon-induced enhancement of photocatalysis of Ag-α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites

• Ag-α-Fe2O3 hybrids were synthesized by a novel self-catalytic growth method.
• Size of Ag NPs could be well tailored by the reaction time.
• Ag-α-Fe2O3 hybrids show superior photocatalytic activities.
• Catalytic activity increases with the increase in the size of Ag NPs.
• We report a size effect mechanism on the photocatalytic activities.

Composite photocatalysts that consist of semiconductor and noble metal nanostructures have been considered to be the promising and crucial materials for straightforward improving the efficiency in photocatalytic process and for the conversion of solar to chemical energy. In this work, we fabricated Ag-α-Fe2O3 hybrid composites through a self-catalytic growth method by using the aldehyde-modified spindle α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) as supports. The size of supported Ag NPs can be directly controlled on the surface of α-Fe2O3. The morphology and structure of the resulting Ag-α-Fe2O3 hybrid composites were studied by various techniques, including SEM, TEM, and XRD. The distinct photocatalytic behaviors were examined through the photodegradation of RhB dye. It was found that with the Ag NPs, the photocatalytic activities were enhanced greatly and the size of the Ag NPs played a crucial influence on the photocatalytic behaviors of the Ag-α-Fe2O3 composites.

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