Surfactant-assisted hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic activity of Ag3PO4

Ag3PO4 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using a simple and rapid hydrothermal method in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactants; the corresponding photocatalysts were denoted as AP-CTAB and AP-SDS, respectively. The photocatalyst prepared without the surfactant was referred to as AP-0. The as-prepared materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV–Vis diffused reflectance, BET-surface area analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the AP-0, AP-CTAB, and AP-SDS catalysts were evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue and rhodamine B dyes under simulated visible light. The results revealed that the AP-CTAB catalyst's photocatalytic activity was higher than that of AP-0 and AP-SDS.