Synthesis of micro-nano Ag3PO4/ZnFe2O4 with different organic additives and its enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Several novel micro-nano Ag3PO4/ZnFe2O4 with excellent magnetic separation property and photocatalytic performance were successfully synthesized using different organic additives for the first time. In the composite, Ag3PO4 with flower-like, quadrangular prism and flake structures were obtained when the organic additive is hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC), or DL-malic acid (DLMA), respectively, while the ZnFe2O4 showed uniform spherical structure. From the results of the photocatalytic activity analysis, the Ag3PO4/ZnFe2O4 gained with the organic additive of DDTC showed the highest photocatalytic capability for 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2, 4-DCP) degradation under visible light irradiation compared with those of CTAB and DLMA as the additives. Moreover, the composition of the composite seriously influences the photocatalytic activity, and when the mass ratio of Ag3PO4 and ZnFe2O4 in the Ag3PO4/ZnFe2O4 (DITCH) is 9:1, the apparent photo degradation rate constant of 2, 4-DC is 0.0155 min−1, which is 5.74 times of ZnFe2O4 (0.0027 min−1) and 1.89 times of Ag3PO4 (0.0082 min−1). Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of Ag3PO4/ZnFe2O4 was discussed based on the heterojunction energy-band theory and Z-Scheme theory in detail.