Ag3PO4 quantum dot sensitized BiPO4: A novel p–n junction Ag3PO4/BiPO4 with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

•Ag3PO4/BiPO4 photocatalyst was prepared by a co-precipitation hydrothermal method.•Ag3PO4 quantum dots dramatically enlarged the visible light absorption of BiPO4.•Ag3PO4/BiPO4 exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than Ag3PO4 and BiPO4.•The p–n junction facilitates the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs.

Ag3PO4 quantum dot sensitized BiPO4, a novel p–n junction Ag3PO4/BiPO4 photocatalyst, was prepared by co-precipitation hydrothermal method and characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, EDS and DRS. Ag3PO4/BiPO4 exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than Ag3PO4 and BiPO4 for the degradation of methyl orange under visible light (λ > 420 nm). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag3PO4/BiPO4 could be mainly ascribed to the strong visible-light absorption originating from the quantum dot sensitization of Ag3PO4 and high efficient separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs through Ag3PO4/BiPO4 heterojunction. Moreover, O2− and OH were the main reactive species.

Graphical abstractAg3PO4 quantum dot sensitized BiPO4 (Ag3PO4/BiPO4) photocatalyst was prepared by a facile co-precipitation hydrothermal method. Ag3PO4/BiPO4 displayed excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange under visible light (λ > 420 nm), which mainly resulted from the strong visible-light absorption originating from the quantum dot sensitization of Ag3PO4 to BiPO4 and the high efficient separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs due to the p–n junction formed in p-Ag3PO4/n-BiPO4.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide