Fabrication of metal/semiconductor hybrid Ag/AgInO2 nanocomposites with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic properties

Abstract

Recently, exploration of the potential application of heterogeneous photocatalysis has attracted significant interest in the fields of environmental remediation and energy conversion. The metal-semiconductor hybrid nanostructures play very important roles in solar-to-chemical energy conversion due to their unique optical characteristics and catalytic properties. In this study, a novel photocatalyst constructed using Ag and AgInO2 was developed to improve the visible-light-driven properties. The photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/AgInO2 for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) reached 97.8%, which was much higher than that of pure AgInO2. Characterization results show that the as-prepared nanocomposites can not only broaden the visible-light absorption range but also promote the separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Trapping experiments confirmed that superoxide radicals (O2-) and holes (h+) were the predominant contributors in the degradation of the organic dye MB. These encouraging results provide an alternative approach for the development of metal-semiconductor hybrid nanostructures towards improving the efficiency of solar-energy utilization in the near future.