Boosting visible light photocatalysis of Ag6Si2O7/dandelion shaped Bi2S3 heterojunctions

Charge carrier separation is a very important factor in photocatalysis and can be accelerated by heterojunctions. Here, a novel and potential dandelion like Ag6Si2O7/Bi2S3 heterojunctions were successfully prepared through two steps: hydrothermal preparation of Bi2S3 matrix in advance and in-situ deposition of Ag6Si2O7 on the surface of Bi2S3. A series of characterization results show that Ag6Si2O7/Bi2S3 nanohybrids have better visible light absorption and more efficient charge separation than individual Bi2S3. The constructed Ag6Si2O7/Bi2S3-3 demonstrates excellent photocatalytic removal performance for RhB within 30 min. The K value for RhB degradation was nearly to 0.13 min−1 (within in 30 min) by Ag6Si2O7/Bi2S3-3 which was more than 350 times greater than Bi2S3 (0.00037 min−1 within in 40 min) and 2.2 times of Ag6Si2O7 (0.059 min−1 within in 40 min). The synergistic effect between the increased visible light harvest after the introduction of Ag6Si2O7 and the accelerated charge transfer in Ag6Si2O7/Bi2S3 heterojunction formed by Ag6Si2O7 and Bi2S3 are the reasons for the significant improvement of the catalytic activity of Ag6Si2O7/Bi2S3-3 materials.