Preparation of visible light-driven Ag2CO3/BiOBr composite photocatalysts with universal degradation abilities

Ag2CO3/BiOBr composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized for the first time using a hydrothermal technique and an in situ precipitation method. The photocatalytic activity of the Ag2CO3/BiOBr composite for degradation of methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution under visible light illumination was investigated. Significantly, the Ag2CO3/BiOBr composite exhibited higher photocatalytic activities than pure BiOBr. The remarkably enhanced photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the narrow band gap and the strong coupling between Ag2CO3 and BiOBr, which facilitated interfacial charge transfer and inhibited electron-hole recombination. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.