Synergistic effects of electronic structure of WO3 nanorods with the dominant {001} exposed facets combined with silver size-dependent on the visible-light photocatalytic activity

- Close contact and strong interaction between Ag NPs and WO3-110 nanorods.
- Efficient charge separation of {001} facets of nanorods and SPR effect of Ag NPs.
- Size-dependent effect in the photocatalytic activity of the nanocatalyst.
- Greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity than pure WO3-110 nanorod.

Novel visible-light-driven plasmonic photocatalyst Ag/WO3-110 nanorods with the dominant {001} exposed facets were prepared via a two-step hydrothermal treatment and in-situ photoreduction reaction. The as-prepared samples were characterized by various analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results illustrated that the intrinsic nature of charge separation on the {001} facets of WO3-110 nanorods as well as the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) can facilitate the charge transfer between Ag NPs and the {001} facets of WO3-110 nanorods. Moreover, the size of Ag NPs also plays an important role in the SPR effect and the photogenerated carrier separation. Those Ag NPs loaded on {001} facets of WO3 nanorods exhibit size-dependent photocatalytic activity for the MO and RhB degradation. Additionally, the underlying photocatalytic reaction mechanism was further investigated by the photoelectrochemical experiment and the controlled experiments using radical scavengers.

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