AgCl-loaded mesoporous anatase TiO2 with large specific surface area for enhancing photocatalysis

Conventional TiO2 photocatalyst possesses excellent stability, but requires higher activity for effective photocatalysis. It is highly desirable to develop an effective photocatalyst with enhanced activity. In this work, we developed a novel two-step strategy to synthesize AgCl-loaded mesoporous anatase TiO2 (AgCl/TiO2) photocatalyst. The Ag/Na-titanate samples were prepared by dealloying a ternary Al-Ti-Ag precursor, and further acid treatment resulted in the formation of AgCl/TiO2. The AgCl/TiO2 nanocomposites had a mesoporous structure and large specific surface area (222.86 m(2)/g). In comparison to the commercial P25 photocatalyst, the AgCl/TiO2 nanocomposites exhibited an excellent photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of methyl orange (MO). In addition, the photocatalytic mechanism of AgCl/TiO2 was also rationalized. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.