Ag@AgCl nanoparticles grafted on carbon nanofiber: an efficient visible light plasmonic photocatalyst via bandgap reduction

A novel silver@silver chloride/carbon nanofiber (Ag@AgCl/CNF) hybrid was synthesized by electrospinning, heat treament, and subsequent in situ chemical oxidation strategy. The synthesized materials were characterized using x-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray. The experimental results reveal that the electrospun AgNO3/PAN was carbonized and reduced to Ag/CNF, the Ag/CNF was then partly oxidized to form Ag@AgCl/CNF in which Ag@AgCl nanoparticles (ca. 10-20 nm in diameter) were uniformly bounded to CNFs (ca. 165 nm in diameter). The obtained Ag@AgCl/CNF was employed for Na2S2O8 activation under visible light irradiation to treat Rhodamine B (RhB). A remarkable RhB removal of ca. 94.68% was achieved under optimal conditions, and the influence of various parameters on removal efficiency was studied. Quenching experiments revealed that HO center dot, SO4 (center dot-), O-1(2), and O-2 (center dot-) were major reactive oxygen species, in which O-2 (center dot-) played a pivotal role in RhB degradation. A possible mechanistic route for RhB degradation was proposed.

Automated summary

A novel silver@silver chloride/carbon nanofiber (Ag@AgCl/CNF) hybrid was synthesized by electrospinning, heat treatment, and in situ chemical oxidation. The synthesized material showed excellent performance in the removal of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The study also proposed a possible mechanistic route for the degradation of Rhodamine B.