An Au/AgBr-Ag heterostructure plasmonic photocatalyst with enhanced catalytic activity under visible light

This study reports an easy synthesis protocol of a novel bimetallic silver halide (Au/AgBr-Ag) plasmonic heterostructure as a visible light induced photocatalyst. In this process, first CTAB capped Au NPs were coated with AgBr, and then Ag nanoparticles were formed on the surface of AgBr by photoreduction, while exposing to daylight at room temperature. The presence of Au and Ag improves the visible absorption ability of NPs and avoids charge recombination of the semiconductor AgBr during photoexcitation, which in turn enhances 16 and 8.9 fold the photocatalytic efficiency of Rhodamine B dye degradation under visible light irradiation compared to that of pure AgBr and AgBr/Ag, respectively. The recycling tests of the photocatalyst show only ∼8.7% decrease in efficiency after the 5^th cycle of reuse without changing the morphology. During the photocatalytic process, active superoxide radicals (O₂˙^-) play a major role, proved through scavenger trapping and photoluminescence experiments. The presence of two plasmonic metals (Au and Ag) in the heterostructure helps to improve visible light absorption as well as avoid charge recombination of the semiconductor AgBr to act as a better photocatalyst. Since this heteronanostructure can be easily synthesized by a one-step method, this study could provide a new approach for the development of efficient bimetallic/semiconductor halide plasmonic photocatalysts with enhanced visible absorption and better charge separation.