Photocatalytic silver/silver chloride polymer nanocomposites

Novel silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) nanocomposite materials were produced by forming plasmonic photocatalyst Ag/AgCl nanoparticles in the porous support materials of polymers such as nylon 6,6 and polyurethane. This was achieved by way of a simple aqueous synthesis method, followed by a light-induced chemical reduction. In this method, Ag/AgCl nanoparticles are incorporated without modifying the structure of the polymer support. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterise the Ag/AgCl nanoparticles and their distribution within the composites. The photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgCl polymer composites was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue dye. The composite materials were shown to retain the enhanced photocatalytic activity displayed by Ag/AgCl plasmonic photocatalyst nanoparticles.