Fabrication of AgBr/Ag2CrO4 composites for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Ag2CrO4 and AgBr/Ag2CrO4 photocatalysts were synthesized by a simple precipitation reaction and were compared for their photocatlytic activity. These photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy techniques. The photocatalytic performance of the samples was evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible-light irradiation. The results indicated that the AgBr/Ag2CrO4 exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity than the pure Ag2CrO4. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity was related to the stronger light absorption ability and also due to the fact that the insoluble AgBr effectively protected the Ag2CrO4 photocatalyst from dissolution in aqueous solutions to enhance its structural stability. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.