Issue 36, 2014

Bifunctional TiO2/Ag3PO4/graphene composites with superior visible light photocatalytic performance and synergistic inactivation of bacteria

Abstract

In this work, bifunctional TiO2/Ag3PO4/graphene (GR) composites have been prepared via the combination of ion-exchange method and hydrothermal approach, and the fabrication of “pizza-like” three-phase TiO2/Ag3PO4/GR composites has been achieved through the electrostatic-driven assembly of positively-charged Ag+ on negatively-charged graphene oxide (GO) sheets, followed by the nucleation & controlled growth of Ag3PO4 and the deposition of Degussa P25 on the GO surface. Consequently, the hydrothermal treatment leads to the generation of TiO2/Ag3PO4/GR composites with well-defined structures. The as-prepared composites exhibited highly efficient visible light photocatalytic activity toward organic dye molecule degradation and showed excellent bactericidal performance. This is the first report on the production of bifunctional three-phase metal oxide–Ag3PO4–GR composite materials with improved photocatalytic and antibacterial properties. The improved photocatalytic activity is attributed to the effective separation of photoexcited electron–hole pairs and fast charge transfer between components in the composite, while its excellent bactericidal performance is believed to come from intrinsic bacterial inactivation of Ag3PO4 and photo-induced antibacterial activity of active oxygen-containing radicals generated in the irradiated system. The proper molar ratio of Ag3PO4/TiO2 and the added amount of GO in the precursor have been considered to play crucial roles in the formation of bifunctional composites with promising properties. The TiO2/Ag3PO4/GR composite significantly decreases the percentage of expensive Ag-containing material while it reveals better photocatalytic and antibacterial performance than Ag3PO4, providing new insights into the low-cost, large-scale production of Ag3PO4-based function materials for practical applications.

Graphical abstract: Bifunctional TiO2/Ag3PO4/graphene composites with superior visible light photocatalytic performance and synergistic inactivation of bacteria

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 feb 2014
Accepted
27 mar 2014
First published
27 mar 2014

RSC Adv., 2014,4, 18627-18636

Author version available

Bifunctional TiO2/Ag3PO4/graphene composites with superior visible light photocatalytic performance and synergistic inactivation of bacteria

X. Yang, J. Qin, Y. Jiang, R. Li, Y. Li and H. Tang, RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 18627 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA01559B

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