Facile Synthesis of Ag/Ag3PO4Composites with Highly Efficient and Stable Photocatalytic Performance under Visible Light

The Ag/Ag3PO4composites with various shapes (spheres, polyhedral, and microcubes) were synthesized by a facile precipitation method and a subsequent light‐reduction route at room temperature. The as‐prepared Ag/Ag3PO4composites were characterized in detail by X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflection, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The growth processes of different morphologies Ag/Ag3PO4composites are also discussed. The decomposition test of rhodamine B (RhB) indicated that the Ag/Ag3PO4composites enhanced the photocatalytic performance compared with pure Ag3PO4, which was attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag nanoparticles and the stability of the photocatalysts. Moreover, uniform cubes of Ag/Ag3PO4showed the highest photocatalytic activity and could completely degrade RhB in 7 min, which could be primarily ascribed to the cubic structure of Ag/Ag3PO4with strong visible‐light absorption and efficient separation of the photo‐generated electrons and holes. Furthermore, the possible photocatalytic mechanism is also discussed. The Ag/Ag3PO4composites with various shapes (spheres, polyhedra, and microcubes) were synthesized at room temperature. The growth process of Ag/Ag3PO4composites is also discussed. Uniform cubes of Ag/Ag3PO4could completely degrade RhB in 7 min, which was attributed to the cubic structure of Ag/Ag3PO4with strong visible‐light absorption and highly efficient separation of photo‐generated electrons and holes.