Ag/AgCl as an efficient plasmonic photocatalyst for greenhouse gaseous methane oxidation

In this work, quasi-cube Ag/AgCl plasmonic photocatalyst was synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method and in situ photo-reduction process. The synthesized Ag/AgCl shows high efficiency and good stability in the complete oxidation of nonpolar greenhouse gas methane under the simulated sunlight irradiation. Systematic experiments and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulated calculations were employed to explore the reasons for the appreciable performance improvement, and results showed that the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect of Ag nanoparticles can generate strong electric field which would induce the polarization of methane molecules, hence enhancing the adsorption of methane. This work provides a new idea for exploration of other plasmonic photocatalysts in the field of nonpolar gaseous molecules photo-oxidation.

Automated summary

The quasi-cubic Ag/AgCl plasmonic photocatalyst synthesized through a simple method demonstrated high efficiency and stability in the complete oxidation of nonpolar greenhouse gas methane. Experimental and simulated calculations revealed that the surface plasmonic resonance effect of Ag nanoparticles enhances the adsorption of methane by inducing molecule polarization. This work offers a new direction for exploring other plasmonic photocatalysts in the photo-oxidation of nonpolar gaseous molecules.