Synthesis and visible-light photocatalytic property of Ag/GO/g-C3N4 ternary composite

Ag/GO/g-C3N4 composites were successfully synthesized by a sonochemical method. The structure and properties of the composites at various Ag loadings were characterized, and the Ag nanoparticles were confirmed by XRD, TEM and XPS measurements. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed the presence of surface plasmon peak for Ag at 550 nm. The Ag/GO/g-C3N4 composites demonstrated excellent activity in photocatalytic degradation of Rh B under visible light irradiation, and 5% of Ag nanoparticle was found to be the most suitable loading. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the role of GO nanosheets and Ag nanoparticles. The GO nanosheets acted as electrons transporter and acceptor in the composite and inhibited the charge recombination. The Ag nanoparticles acted as an electron traps to facilitate the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and promoted interfacial electrons transfer. The (OHads)-O-center dot and h(+) were the major radicals to be involved in the photocatalytic process. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.