Synthesis of Highly Efficient Ag@AgCl Plasmonic Photocatalysts with Various Structures

Abstract By means of a simple ion‐exchange process (using different precursors) and a light‐induced chemical reduction reaction, highly efficient Ag@AgCl plasmonic photocatalysts with various self‐assembled structures—including microrods, irregular balls, and hollow spheres—have been fabricated. All the obtained Ag@AgCl catalysts were characterized by means of X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV‐visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The effect of the different morphologies on the properties of the photocatalysts was studied. The average content of elemental Ag in Ag@AgCl was found to be about 3.2 mol %. All the catalysts show strong absorption in the visible‐light region. The obtained Ag@AgCl samples exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic contaminants under visible‐light irradiation. The stability of the plasmonic photocatalysts was also investigated in detail.