The CeO2/Ag3PO4 photocatalyst with stability and high photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

The CeO2/Ag3PO4 composite photocatalysts are synthesized by an in situ precipitation method. The XRD, FT-IR, XPS, TEM, EDS, and DRS are used to characterize the structure of the samples. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared samples is evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB), and ciprofloxacin (CIP). The results show that CeO2/Ag3PO4 hybrid materials exhibit much higher photocatalytic activity than the Ag3PO4 alone. The optimal CeO2 content in CeO2/Ag3PO4 composites is found to be molar ratio 1 wt%. Photocurrent response of CeO2/Ag3PO4 (1wt%) is about 1.5 times as high as that of the pure Ag3PO4. The increase of photocatalytic activity of CeO2/Ag3PO4 composites could be mainly attributed to the heterojunction between CeO2 and Ag3PO4. The trapping experiment has demonstrated that holes serve as the main active species for the degradation of MB under visible light irradiation. A photocatalytic mechanism is also proposed. (C) 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim