Novel AgCl/Ag2CO3 heterostructured photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic performance

A series of novel AgCl/Ag2CO3 heterostructured photocatalysts with different AgCl contents (5 wt%, 10 wt%, 20 wt%, and 30 wt%) were prepared by facile coprecipitation method at room temperature. The resulting products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS), respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV light irradiation. With the optimal AgCl content of 20 wt%, the AgCl/Ag2CO3 composite exhibits the greatest enhancement in photocatalytic degradation efficiency. Its first-order reaction rate constant (0.67 h−1) is 5.2 times faster than that of Ag2CO3 (0.13 h−1), and 16.8 times faster than that of AgCl (0.04 h−1). The formation of AgCl/Ag2CO3 heterostructure could effectively suppress the recombination of the photo-generated electron and hole, resulting in an increase in photocatalytic activity.