Visible-light plasmonic photocatalyst anchored on titanate nanotubes: a novel nanohybrid with synergistic effects of adsorption and degradation

A nanohybrid plasmonic photocatalyst, comprising Ag-AgX (X = Cl, Br, I) nanoparticles anchored on titanate nanotubes, was fabricated via a silver ion incorporation process followed by hydrogen halide injection and light-irradiation. The Ag-AgX-titanate nanotubes (Ag-AgX-TNT) hybrid with a high surface area could synergistically adsorb and degrade methylene blue (MB) under visible light, viz., the titanate nanotubes adsorb MB onto their surfaces, which aids the degradation of MB by Ag-AgX nanoparticles. The excellent degradation performance of Ag-AgX under visible light originated from its localized surface plasmonic resonance effect. Therefore, this integrated silver halides/titanate hybrid can efficiently degrade MB dye, and shows good potential for waste water treatment utilizing solar irradiation.