A novel Ag3PO4/Nb2O5 fiber composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance and stability

Abstract

A novel Ag₃PO₄/Nb₂O₅ fiber composite was fabricated through depositing Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles on Nb₂O₅ fiber surfaces through a facile depositing precipitation approach. The as-prepared Ag₃PO₄/Nb₂O₅ photocatalyst was characterized through XRD, SEM, XPS and UV-Vis measurements. SEM results show that biomorphic Nb₂O₅ fibers have a wrinkled surface and porous walls. The special morphology of the Nb₂O₅ fibers provided a large amount of voids and interfaces in favor of decorating with Ag₃PO₄ nanocrystals. The Ag₃PO₄/Nb₂O₅ composite photocatalyst exhibits much higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B than pure Ag₃PO₄ under simulated sunlight. Such superior photocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to enhanced visible light absorption and effective separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs derived from the Ag₃PO₄/Nb₂O₅ heterojunction. No loss of photocatalytic activity has been observed after four recycles. Moreover, the large size of the Ag₃PO₄/Nb₂O₅ composite allows it to be easily separated from the solution.