In situ synthesis of tetrahedron-shaped hollow porous Ag@AgBr plasmonic photocatalysts with highly efficient visible-light performance by a template-assisted method

A one-step, facile, template-assisted synthetic route was applied to synthesize hollow porous tetrahedron-shaped Ag@AgBr plasmonic photocatalysts in situ. CuBr tetrahedrons were used as both the template and source of bromine and copper to produce AgBr and reduce Ag+ ions into metallic Ag, respectively. The novel Ag@AgBr photocatalysts could be easily obtained using this route. The valence of Ag (i.e. 0 or 1+) in the Ag@AgBr photocatalysts could be precisely controlled by the relative amount of AgNO3 to CuBr in the precursor solution. Photocatalytic performance of the Ag@AgBr plasmonic photocatalysts with different Ag to AgBr ratios was estimated by the decomposition of an organic dye (rhodamine b or RhB) and colorless phenol, under artificial simulated sunlight irradiation. When the molar ratio of AgNO3: CuBr was 1:1, the as-obtained Ag@AgBr photocatalyst (denoted as Ag@AgBr (1: 1)) was capable of decoloring 98% of the RhB within 5 min and the degree of mineralization was 67.1%, the best photocatalytic activity exhibited by the photocatalysts. The decomposition of phenol further confirmed the superior photocatalytic activity of Ag@AgBr (1:1) sample. The synthetic method employed in this work could enable controlled synthesis of other novel thin-shelled structures. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.