Highly effective and stable Ag3PO4/WO3 photocatalysts for visible light degradation of organic dyes

•Ag3PO4/WO3 exhibited notably higher activity and stability than pure Ag3PO4 and WO3.•The catalyst with Ag3PO4:WO3 mass ratio of 6:4 exhibited the highest activity.•After photodegradation less Ag0 was detected on the surface of Ag3PO4/WO3 than Ag3PO4.•Ag3PO4 was effectively protected due to the special transfer pathway of electron.

The Ag3PO4/WO3 composites were prepared through a deposition–precipitation method and characterized by XRD, SEM, and DR UV–vis. These photocatalysts were evaluated in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), and the synergistic effect of Ag3PO4 and WO3 was confirmed by notably higher photocatalytic activity compared to pure Ag3PO4 and WO3 catalysts. The effect of Ag3PO4:WO3 ratio on the catalytic activity was systemically studied and the catalyst AW6/4 was found to exhibit the highest catalytic activity. The degradation rates of RhB and MO could reach up to 97% under visible light irradiation for 6 min and 35 min, respectively. Moreover, the Ag3PO4/WO3 photocatalysts showed higher recyclability than pure Ag3PO4 catalyst and could be recycled five runs in the degradation of RhB without any loss in the activity. The characterization of used catalysts proved that Ag3PO4 was effectively protected and much less metallic Ag was formed on the surface of Ag3PO4/WO3 catalyst. The improvement of photocatalytic activity and stability is mainly attributed to the highly effective separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and special transfer pathway of electrons and holes in Ag3PO4/WO3 composites.

Graphical abstractThe Ag3PO4/WO3 composites with improved activity and stability were prepared and employed as catalyst for the visible light degradation of RhB and MO. Due to the special transfer pathway of electron, Ag3PO4 was effectively protected and much less metallic Ag was formed on the surface of Ag3PO4/WO3.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (193 K)Download as PowerPoint slide