Transformation from Ag@Ag3PO4 to Ag@Ag2SO4 hybrid at room temperature: preparation and its visible light photocatalytic activity

In the present study, Ag/Ag2SO4 hybrid photocatalysts were obtained via a facile redox-precipitation reaction approach by using Ag@Ag3PO4 nanocomposite as the precursor and KMnO4 as the oxidant. Multiple techniques, such as X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), photocurrent and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were applied to investigate the structures, morphologies, optical, and electronic properties of as-prepared samples. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by photodegradation of organic rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. It was found that pure Ag2SO4 can partially transform into metallic Ag during the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, but the Ag/Ag2SO4 hybrids can maintain its structure stability and show enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity because of the surface plasma resonance effect of the metallic Ag.