LONG Ziwen ¹, LI Haibin ^{1, 2}
(1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410003, Hunan, China; 2. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources Chemistry and Biotechnology, College of Chemistry and Food Science, Yulin Normal University, Yulin 537000, Guangxi, China)

Abstract: Ag/Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14composite photocatalyst was prepared by using a simple photochemical deposition route. The material was characterized by using XRD, XPS, TEM, HRTEM, etc., while its optoelectronic properties were analyzed with UV vis diffuse reflection testing, mott schottky testing, photocurrent testing, etc. Metallic Ag nanoparticles were loaded onto the surface of Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14cubes, forming well-defined interfaces. Under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic degradation performance of Ag/Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14 for Rhodamine B was much higher than that of Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14. The composite photocatalyst with 15 wt.% Ag showed the highest photocatalytic performance, with a degradation rate of 98.1% after irradiation for 75 min. The synergistic effect of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag and Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14not only enhanced the electron supply in the conduction band of Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14 but also promoted the separation of hot electrons and holes in Ag nanoparticles. The local electromagnetic field generated by SPR effect also suppressed the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes in Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14 , improving the quantum efficiency of the composite.
Key words: Ag; Bi₁₂P_0.86O_20.14 ; photocatalysis; nanoparticles