Ag plasmon resonance promoted 2D AgBr-δ-Bi2O3 nanosheets with enhanced photocatalytic ability

2D Ag/AgBr-delta-Bi2O3 nanosheets with a uniform thickness of approximately 6 nm and length of 400 nm were fabricated via a cost efficient hydrothermal photodeposition method. The 2D ultrathin morphology was confirmed by SEM, TEM, HR-TEM, and AFM characterization. Ag/AgBr-delta-Bi2O3 exhibited excellent photocatalytic nitrogen fixation ability without any sacrificial agent under visible light irradiation. After 3 h of irradiation, a photocatalytic nitrogen fixation rate of 364.2 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) was realized over 3% Ag/AgBr-delta-Bi2O3, which was approximately 3 times higher than that of pure delta-Bi2O3. The enhanced photocatalytic nitrogen fixation ability of Ag/AgBr-delta-Bi2O3 should be attributed to the presence of abundant surface active sites available in the 2D ultrathin nanosheets, remarkable separation of charge carriers in the heterojunction, and the surface plasmon resonance of the Ag species. Importantly, radical-trapping experiments and electron spin resonance characterization suggested a contribution of h(+) and center dot OH to the photocatalytic degradation, resulting in the remarkable photocatalytic degradation ability for the 3% Ag/AgBr-delta-Bi2O3 material. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.