Construction of efficient and stable ternary ZnFe2O4/Ag/AgBr Z-scheme photocatalyst based on ZnFe2O4 nanofibers under LED visible light

Abstract In this work, ZnFe2O4 nanofiber (NFs) composites were successfully prepared according to electrospinning technique and subsequently ZnFe2O4/Ag/AgBr composite was prepared by using precipitation methods under UV light. The Z-scheme ZnFe2O4/Ag/AgBr photocatalyst was characterized by Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The prepared magnetic ZnFe2O4/Ag/AgBr composite was utilized as a photocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible blue light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation. ZnFe2O4/Ag/AgBr composites exhibit higher photocatalytic activity than single ZnFe2O4 NFs and Ag/AgBr nanoparticles. The considerable increase in the reaction rate of RhB degradation was indicated by the fabricated composites under blue LED light illumination which can be attributed to the plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, the inhibition of electron-holes pair's recombination and also the formation of Z-scheme system. Besides, the obtained photocatalyst exhibits good stability and reusability.