A novel double visible light active Z-scheme AgI/Ag/I-(BiO)2CO3composite: Automatic formation of Ag bridge in the photocatalytic process

A novel Z-scheme AgliAg/I-(BiO)(2)CO3 composite was constructed through a two step in-situ transforming process. AgI nanoparticles were firstly generated on the surface of I-(BiO)(2)CO3 via ion-exchange step and then metallic Ag was formed by decomposing tiny of AgI in the photocatalytic process. Under visible light (lambda >400 nm), the as -prepared AgliAg/I-(BiO)(2)CO3 composite intensively enhanced activity for rhodamine B degradation with corresponding k(app) value 0.63h(-1) in comparison with the reference samples. By means of the metallic Ag bridge, AgliAg/I-(BiO)(2)CO3 displayed excellent separation efficiency of photocharges on the basis of a Z-scheme mechanism. Moreover, AgliAg/I-(BiO)(2)CO3 kept good stability under visible light. This study provides a universal way to in-situ construct highly efficient Z-scheme (BiO)(2)CO3-based photocatalytic system applied for eliminating contaminants in wastewater. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.