Facile in-suit synthesis of Ag/AgVO3 one-dimensional hybrid nanoribbons with enhanced performance of plasmonic visible-light photocatalysis

The novel one-dimension Ag/AgVO3 plasmonic photocatalysts were synthesized via in situ reduction of AgVO3 by NaBH4 at room temperature. The morphologies, optical properties and electronic structures of the synthesized Ag/AgVO3 plasmonic photocatalysts were systematically characterized using a combination of theoretical calculations and experimental techniques. The photocatalytic activities of Ag/AgVO3 photocatalysts were evaluated using photocatalytic degradation of basic fuchsin (BF) dye. The results showed that the photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/AgVO3 was better than that of AgVO3. Ag/AgVO3 demonstrated a high photocatalytic activity with 93.6% of BF decomposed within 90 min. Such enhanced photocatalytic performance could be attributed to the relatively high conductivity and electron-storing capacity of Ag nanoparticles coated on AgVO3 surfaces. These Ag nanoparticles facilitate charge transfer between AgVO3 and Ag nanoparticles, and induce the localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) that increases electric field and absorption of visible light. The results of the FDTD simulation confirmed that the SPR and the electric field enhancement were caused by the Ag nanoparticles. The theoretical calculation based on DFT indicates that Ag formed could narrow the bandgap of AgVO3 due to the fact that the Ag 5s orbital by association with Ag nanoparticles moves down the CB after hybridization. Meanwhile, the hybridization of O 2p and Ag 4d orbits of Ag/AgVO3 is weak, which is beneficial for valence band electrons to excite into the conduction band. The combined experimental results and characterizations of Ag/AgVO3 suggest that h+ and O2− are the main reactive species for degradation of BF in the visible light-catalyzed oxidation.