Enhancement of visible light photocatalytic activity of Ag2O/F-TiO2 composites

• Ag2O/F-TiO2 composites were synthesized via an aqueous precipitation method.
• The photocatalytic performance for the degradation of MB is investigated.
• A high degradation rate of 93% is achieved under visible light irradiation.

We synthesized the Ag2O/F-TiO2 composites via an aqueous precipitation method and characterized their morphology, structure and photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectra, respectively. The results show that the Ag2O addition could enhance the visible light photocatalytic activity of Ag2O/F-TiO2 composites with a maximum MB degradation rate of 93% for 60 min, much higher than that of the F-TiO2 (30%). The excellent photocatalytic activity is due to the increased visible light absorption, and promoted separation of photo-generated electrons and holes in F-TiO2 with the introduction of Ag2O.

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