Facile synthesis of rGO/Ag3PO4 by enhanced photocatalytic degradation of an organic dye using a microwave-assisted method

Abstract

To design and synthesise highly efficient photocatalysts by a facile, environmental friendly, and economical method has become of vital importance in the photocatalytic field. With the assistance of a simple microwave treatment for 40 min, the reduced graphene oxide/Ag₃PO₄ (rGO/Ag₃PO₄) visible-light-response photocatalyst can be rapidly synthesized under the atmosphere. TEM results show that the irregular Ag₃PO₄ particles are distributed on the surface of the rGO sheet. In the photo-degradation process of methyl orange (MO), the optimum photocatalytic activity of rGO (1.5%)/Ag₃PO₄ under simulated daylight is almost 2 times higher than pure Ag₃PO₄. Obviously, this facile method paves a convenient way to prepare visible-light-response Ag₃PO₄-based composites with high photocatalytic efficiency in a large scale and also to reduce the high cost of Ag₃PO₄ for practical uses.