Novel 3DOM-SrTiO3/Ag/Ag3PO4 ternary Z-scheme photocatalysts with remarkably improved activity and durability for contaminant degradation

The novel visible-light-driven 3DOM-SrTiO3/Ag/Ag3PO4 ternary composites were fabricated and used as photocatalysts in the degradation of organic contaminants, including RhB, phenol, and MB. Through the XRD, SEM, TEM, DR UV-vis, XPS, PL spectroscopy, N-2 sorption, and photoelectrochemical measurement, the obtained 3DOM-SrTiO3/Ag/Ag3PO4 ternary composites were well characterized. The effects of SrTiO3:Ag3PO4 molar ratio and stop-bands of 3DOM-SrTiO3 on the catalytic performance were systemically investigated. 3DOM-SrTiO3/Ag/Ag3PO4 ternary composite photocatalysts exhibited notably enhanced activity compared with single 3DOM-SrTiO3 and Ag3PO4 catalyst. Among these ternary photocatalysts, S35A65(300) exhibited the most excellent photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation, which could be mainly attributed to synergy effect of the notably improved separate efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the suitable stop-bands of 3DOM-SrTiO3(300) material. Although the gradually reduced activity in cycling tests was obtained over S35A65(300) under visible light irradiation, an excellent durability could be achieved for S35A65(300) under UV-vis light irradiation. No obvious loss in photocatalytic efficiency was observed after six cycles for RhB degradation. The notably improved enhanced durability of 3DOM-SrTiO3/Ag/Ag3PO4 ternary composites under UV-vis light irradiation could be mainly attributed to the Z-scheme mechanism of this ternary composite photocatalyst. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.