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Ag/AgBr coupled low crystalline Nb2O5 as an effective photocatalyst for the degradation of rhodamine B

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2020

Peng Zhang Open the ORCID record for Peng Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Xiaojuan Jian ,
Jianhong Tan ,
Yuanming Ran  and
Guoqing Zhang
Peng Zhang
Affiliation:
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing408100, China Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy, Institute of Applied Materials, Berlin14109, Germany
Xiaojuan Jian
Affiliation:
College of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing100083, China
Jianhong Tan*
Affiliation:
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing408100, China
Yuanming Ran
Affiliation:
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing408100, China
Guoqing Zhang
Affiliation:
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing408100, China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: tanjianhongtan@126.com
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Abstract

A novel Ag/AgBr/Nb2O5 heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully developed via a facile solvothermal method combined with deposition–precipitation. The morphology and composition of the Ag/AgBr/Nb2O5 photocatalyst were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry, respectively. The results showed that metallic Ag was formed on the surface of the AgBr by an in situ photoreaction. The low crystalline Nb2O5 (L-Nb2O5) substrate provides the photocatalyst with a high specific area and numerous active sites for catalysis, while the combination of the Ag/AgBr with L-Nb2O5 effectively facilitates the separation of photo-generated charge carriers. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were measured using the degradation of an aqueous solution of rhodamine B under different LEDs with UV (365 nm), yellow (595 nm), and white (400 nm ≤ λ ≤ 800 nm) light. The Ag/AgBr/L-Nb2O5 photocatalyst displayed a much higher photocatalytic activity than bare L-Nb2O5 under UV and visible-light irradiation.

Keywords

photodegradationlow crystallineAg/AgBr/Nb2O5 photocatalyst

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Article
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Journal of Materials Research , Volume 35 , Issue 13: Focus Section: Interactions of Shear Transformation Bands , 14 July 2020 , pp. 1692 - 1702
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Copyright © Materials Research Society 2020

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