Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 composite nanosheets: A plasmonic Z-scheme visible light photocatalyst

The novel ternary plasmonic Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 composites were successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal and precipitation-photoreduction method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The photocatalytic activities of the samples were measured through the decomposition of rhodamine-B (Rh-B) aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation (lambda >= 420 nm). The Ag/AgCl/Bi2MoO6 composites show superior photocatalytic activities compared with Bi2MoO6. On the basis of band structure analysis and active species trapping experimental results, a plasmonic Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proposed. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.