title: Solvothermal synthesis of Ag hybrid BiPO4heterostructures with enhanced photodegradation activity and stability.
abstract: In this study, Ag hybrid BiPO4(Ag/BiPO4) heterostructures were synthesized using a solvothermal method. The morphologies and optical properties of the Ag/BiPO4heterostructures were drastically different from those of BiPO4and were highly dependent on the AgNO3:BiPO4weight percent during the synthesis. The three formulated heterostructures were evaluated for their photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV light illumination; the 0.5%Ag/BiPO4heterostructure was observed to result in 99% degradation of MB within 60min, a remarkably higher level of photodegradation activity than the levels caused by TiO2and BiPO4. Furthermore, even after use for five cycles of MB degradation, the 0.5%Ag/BiPO4heterostructure showed no observable loss in photodegradation activity and no change in XRD patterns, demonstrating its chemical and structural stability. According to the results of a systematic experimental investigation, the enhanced photodegradation activity of this Ag/BiPO4heterostructure could be ascribed to the high position of its valence band and the highly efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Moreover, hydroxyl radicals and holes were found to be the major reactive species. Successful photodegradation of standard dye solutions, including acid blue 1, methyl orange, fast green, rhodamine B, rhodamine 6G, and MB, in real water samples was demonstrated with the 0.5%Ag/BiPO4heterostructure, providing clear evidence of its utility for treating waste water containing organic dyes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chang-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mei-Yao
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua City, Taiwan. Electronic address: linywjerry@cc.ncue.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Yang-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: AgNO(3); BiPO(4); Environmental applications; Heterostructure; Photodegradation; Solvothermal synthesis