Synthesis of core-shell structured Ag3PO4@benzoxazine soft gel nanocomposites and their photocatalytic performance

In the investigation of photocatalysis, it remains a significant challenge to improve the interface properties and enhance the stability of photocatalysts. To address this challenge, we have prepared core-shell structured Ag3PO4@benzoxazine soft gel nanocomposites, in which Ag3PO4 nanoparticles are coated with uniform benzoxazine monomers via a facile solution self-assembly method. The benzoxazine monomers are attached to the surface of Ag3PO4 nanoparticles by coordination interaction between the amino group of the benzoxazine monomers and Ag+ ions on the surface of Ag3PO4, and the soft gel shell is formed via the interaction of hydrogen bonds between the benzoxazine monomers. The nanocomposites exhibit higher visible-light photocatalytic stability than the bare Ag3PO4 nanoparticles under the same reaction conditions. Both experimental evidence and electrochemical calculations reveal that the high photocatalytic stability of Ag3PO4@benzoxazine soft gel nanocomposites mainly originates from the silver amine complex ion formed in the interface between the core and the shell. The integration of photocatalysts with the advantages of soft gels can provide a new way to improve the interface properties of Ag3PO4 catalyst and facilitate the realization of the long-standing goal of performing chemical synthesis using sunlight.