Photocatalytic performance of nano-ZnTiO3 decorated with Ag/AgCl nanoparticles for degradation of the organic dyes

Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 nanohybrids were assembled by the photoreduction–precipitation assisted with ultrasonic method. Rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) were selected to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 nanohybrids, and the effects of operating conditions (photocatalyst dosage, dye concentration and pH) were further studied. The photocatalytic debasement of Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 for RhB, MB and MO reached 99%, 98% and 95% under UV light (365 nm) for 30 min, respectively, while decreased to 90%, 88% and 73% under visible light (> 420 nm). In comparison with the pure ZnTiO3, the degradation of RhB, MB and MO by Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 under UV light increased 14.09-fold, 3.16-fold and 6.18-fold, respectively. Based on UV–visible absorption spectra and photoluminescence spectra, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 nanoparticles was enhanced by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and efficient interchange between photogenerated electrons and holes. After five cycling experiments, the degradation ability of Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 nanoparticles descended less than 10% and the physicochemical features almost unchanged, which indicated that these hybrid photocatalysts exhibited favorable durability and stability. Moreover, an enhancement photocatalytic mechanism of Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 photocatalysts was proposed by band gap analysis and trapping experiments.