title: Polyhedral AgBr microcrystals with an increased percentage of exposed {111} facets as a highly efficient visible-light photocatalyst.
abstract: Synthesis of inorganic single crystals with exposed high-reactivity facets is a desirable target in the catalytic chemistry field. Polyhedral AgBr microcrystals with an increased percentage of exposed high-reactivity {111} facets have been successfully prepared for the first time, and the photocatalytic performance of these microcrystals when used as an AgBr/Ag plasmonic photocatalyst was investigated. The results indicate that the as-prepared sample has high photocatalytic activity and, under the same measurement conditions, the photodegradation rate of methyl orange dye over these microcrystals is at least four times faster than with other shapes of AgBr/Ag microstructure, as well as 20 times faster than with the highly efficient Ag(3)PO(4) photocatalyst. DFT calculations suggest that the AgBr (111) surface is mainly composed of unsaturated Ag atoms and has a relatively high surface energy, both of which are favorable for enhancing the photocatalytic activity of the AgBr/Ag polyhedron photocatalyst. This work not only provides a highly efficient plasmonic photocatalyst of polyhedral AgBr/Ag microcrystals with an increased percentage of exposed high-reactivity AgBr {111} facets, but also demonstrates that the shape and crystalline quality of the exposed facets have an important influence on the photocatalytic activities.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, PR China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiufeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yongmin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jinghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D001965:Bromides / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D018030:Silver Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D001965:Bromides; D004396:Coloring Agents; D018030:Silver Compounds; D012834:Silver; C100258:methyl orange; C047751:silver bromide