Fabrication of a Visible-Light-Driven Plasmonic Photocatalyst of AgVO₃@AgBr@Ag Nanobelt Heterostructures

Abstract

In this article, AgVO3@AgBr@Ag nanobelt heterostructures were fabricated as an efficient visible-light photocatalyst through a hydrothermal process, an anion-exchange reaction, and a light-induced reduction. SEM and TEM characterization revealed that anion exchange followed by light-induced reduction is an efficient method to synthesize well-dispersed AgBr@Ag nanoparticles on the surface of AgVO3 nanobelts. The composite photocatalyst efficiently combines visible-light active AgBr and AgVO3 with the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag nanoparticles. The obtained catalyst displayed a high performance for removing organic dye in the range of visible light. This improved visible-light response likely originates from a synergistic effect of the different components. This work provides a versatile approach for accessing efficient, stable, and recyclable visible-light-driven plasmonic photocatalysts.