title: Mussel-inspired green synthesis of polydopamine-Ag-AgCl composites with efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity.
abstract: Polydopamine-Ag-AgCl composites (PDA-Ag-AgCl) were synthesized using a mussel-inspired method at room temperature, where PDA acts as a reducing agent to obtain the noble Ag nanoparticles from a precursor. The morphologies and structures of the as-prepared PDA-Ag-AgCl were characterized by several techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectra, and X-Ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS). The morphological observation depicts formation of nanoparticles with various micrometer size diameters and surface XPS analysis shows presence of various elements including Ag, N, Cl, and O. The enhanced absorbance of the PDA-Ag-AgCl particles in the visible light region is confirmed through UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and the charge transfer is demonstrated by photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent response. The synthesized PDA-Ag-AgCl composites could be used as visible-light-driven photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine B. The elevated photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the effective charge transfer from plasmon-excited Ag to AgCl that can improve the efficiency of the charge separation during the photocatalytic reaction. Furthermore, differences in the photocatalytic performance among the different PDA-Ag-AgCl composites are noticed that could be attributed to the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area, which benefits to capture the visible light efficiently. The PDA-Ag-AgCl exhibits excellent stability without a significant loss in activity after 5cycles. The proposed method is low-cost and environmentally friendly, hence a promising new way to fabricate plasmon photocatalysts.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science & Technology, Qinhuangdao 066600, PR China.
authors.forename: Aijun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science & Technology, Qinhuangdao 066600, PR China. Electronic address: wangxiuping0721@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiuping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Hebei Normal University of Science & Technology, Qinhuangdao 066600, PR China.
authors.forename: Aiying
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: College of Chemical Technology, Shijiazhuang University, Shijianzhuang 050035, PR China. Electronic address: changyongfang@126.com.
authors.forename: Yongfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics; D049872:Bivalvia; D002384:Catalysis; D060326:Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; D007211:Indoles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008027:Light; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D018030:Silver Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; D011108:Polymers; D018030:Silver Compounds; C568283:polydopamine; D012834:Silver; C037548:silver chloride
keywords: Mussel-inspired green method; Photocatalysis; Polydopamine-Ag-AgCl; Visible light