Synthesis of Ag/AgCl/Zn-Cr LDHs composite with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance

• Novel Ag/AgCl/Zn-Cr LDHs photocatalyst was prepared by an anion-exchange method.
• Ag/AgCl particles were uniformly grown on the surface of Zn-Cr LDHs materials.
• Ag/AgCl/Zn-Cr LDHs shows the best activity in the photodegradation of RhB.
• Holes and O2− are the two main reactive species for RhB degradation.
• The photocatalytic mechanism was proposed.

A novel composite photocatalyst Ag/AgCl/Zn-Cr layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was prepared by a facile anion-exchange precipitation method. It was found that Ag/AgCl particles were uniformly grown on the surface of Zn-Cr LDHs materials on a large scale, and the composite shows well visible-light absorption ability. The photocatalytic degradation studies on Rhodamine B (RhB) indicate that Ag/AgCl/Zn-Cr LDHs composite shows enhanced visible-light photocatalytic abilities for degradation of organic pollutants than Ag/AgCl and Zn-Cr LDHs. The photocatalytic mechanism was analyzed by active species trapping experiments. It revealed that the h+ and O2− are the two main reactive species for RhB degradation by Ag/AgCl/Zn-Cr LDHs composite, and the proportion of h+ greatly increases compared to that of Ag/AgCl and Zn-Cr LDHs, indicating that an efficient charge separation is crucial for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activities. This work provides an approach to fabricate novel types of visible-light-induced composite photocatalysts for environment treatment.

A novel composite photocatalyst Ag/AgCl/Zn-Cr LDHs was prepared by a facile anion-exchange precipitation method, which shows enhanced visible-light photocatalytic abilities for degradation of RhB.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (164 K)Download as PowerPoint slide