Preparation of bismuth stannate/silver@silver chloride film samples with enhanced photocatalytic performance and...

We report a novel technique to fabricate bismuth stannate/silver@silver chloride (Bi₂Sn₂O₇/Ag@AgCl) films on conventional glass substrates. The film exhibited a remarkable self-cleaning capability against organic dyes under visible light. Porous Bi₂Sn₂O₇ (BSO) film was first sintered on a glass substrate, followed by implantation of AgCl in it and photo-induction to produce Ag@AgCl. The degradation of organic dyes and photoelectrochemical studies indicate that, compared with BSO film, Bi₂Sn₂O₇/Ag@AgCl film had a much improved photocatalytic ability, probably due to the enhanced electron transfer efficiency and synergistic effect of visible light absorption of the two semiconductors. The possible mechanism of this marked improvement was investigated and interpreted in terms of electrons and holes separation efficiency and charge circulation routes at the interfaces within the Bi₂Sn₂O₇/Ag@AgCl composite film. The film provided in this study may well have practical applications due to its simplicity of preparation, excellent photocatalytic ability and reasonable stability.