Fabrication of Ag3PO4-AgBr-PTh composite loaded on Na2SiO3 with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

A novel Ag₃PO₄-AgBr-PTh composite loaded on Na₂SiO₃ was synthesized for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by photodegrading rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The main reactive species and possible photocatalytic mechanism were also discussed. As a result, the Ag₃PO₄-AgBr-PTh composite loaded on Na₂SiO₃ exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity for RhB compared with Ag₃PO₄ under visible-light irradiation. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the hole (h⁺) and superoxide radical (?O ₂ ^? ) were the major reactive species involving in the RhB degradation. PTh played vital role for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag₃PO₄-AgBr-PTh-Na₂SiO₃ composite, which offered an electron transfer expressway and accelerated the transfer of the electrons from the CB of AgBr into Ag₃PO₄. This work could provide a new perspective for the synthesis of Ag₃PO₄-based composites and the improvement of photocatalytic activity of Ag₃PO₄.