Recyclable Carbon Cloth-Supported ZnO@Ag₃PO₄ Core-Shell Structure for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye

The extensive use of organic dyes in industry has caused serious environmental problems, and photocatalysis is a potential solution to water pollution by organic dyes. The practical application of powdery photocatalysts is usually limited by the rapid recombination of charge carriers and difficulty in recycling. In this study, recyclable carbon cloth-supported ZnO@Ag₃PO₄ composite with a core-shell structure was successfully prepared by solvothermal treatment and subsequent impregnation-deposition. The as-prepared carbon cloth-supported ZnO@Ag₃PO₄ composite showed an improved photocatalytic activity and stability for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), a model organic dye, under visible light irradiation. The decomposition ratio of RhB reached 87.1% after exposure to visible light for 100 min, corresponding to a reaction rate constant that was 4.8 and 15.9 times that of carbon cloth-supported Ag₃PO₄ or ZnO alone. The enhanced performance of the composite can be attributed to the effectively inhibited recombination of photoinduced electron-hole pairs by the S-scheme heterojunction. The carbon fibers further promoted the transfer of charges. Moreover, the carbon cloth-supported ZnO@Ag₃PO₄ can be easily separated from the solution and repeatedly used, demonstrating a fair recyclability and potential in practical applications.