Plasmonic Metal/Semiconductor Heterostructure for Visible Light-Enhanced H2 Production

A plasmonic Ag/Bi2WO6 heterostructure, having Ag NPs deposited on Bi2WO6, is obtained by a hydrothermal and photodeposition method. The synthesized Ag/ Bi2WO6 composite exhibits strong visible light absorption with a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and shows an enhanced photoabsorption property. It is demonstrated that such a Ag/Bi2WO6 heterostructure shows excellent plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic activity in the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (NH3BH3) solution under visible light irradiation, which is due to the results from the synergetic effect between Ag NPs and emerging W5+ ions. More importantly, the performance of a Ag/Bi2WO6 hybrid is almost eight times higher than that of sole Bi2WO6 nanosheets. The introduction of LSPR of Ag in Bi2WO6 improves the electrical conductivity of the composite and lowers the recombination rate of charge carriers. This study opens up the opportunity of rationally fabricating plasmonic metal/semiconductor heterostructures for highly efficient photocatalysis.

Automated summary

A plasmonic Ag/Bi2WO6 heterostructure with enhanced visible light absorption and improved photocatalytic activity has been successfully synthesized. The introduction of Ag nanoparticles onto Bi2WO6 resulted in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and increased photoabsorption. The Ag/Bi2WO6 heterostructure showed excellent plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic activity, almost eight times higher than sole Bi2WO6 nanosheets. The enhancement is attributed to the synergetic effect between Ag nanoparticles and emerging W5+ ions.