A comparative study of photocatalytic activity of Na+–Ag+ ion-exchanged glass-ceramics with metallic Ag, semiconductor AgBr, and hybrid Ag–AgBr nanoparticles

Abstract

Photocatalytic glass-ceramics doped with metallic Ag, semiconductor AgBr, and hybrid metal–semiconductor Ag–AgBr nanostructures were synthesized via low-temperature Na⁺–Ag⁺ ion exchange. The spectral features of the nanostructures in the silicate glass matrix as well as their photocatalytic performance were studied in detail. Glass-ceramics containing hybrid metal–semiconductor nanostructures were shown to possess one order of magnitude higher photocatalytic activity compared to their counterparts with metallic and semiconductor nanostructures. Hybrid metal–semiconductor nanostructures allow enhancement of the net density of photogenerated hot electrons.