Ternary GO/Ag3PO4/AgBr composite as an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst

Abstract A novel ternary graphene oxide (GO)/Ag 3 PO 4 /AgBr composite was synthesized by an in situ growth of Ag 3 PO 4 /AgBr on GO nanosheets. The photocatalytic efficiency of the nanocomposite under visible light irradiation was much enhanced due to the coupling of GO nanosheets and Ag 3 PO 4 /AgBr, which enlarged the absorption region, facilitated the charge transportation, and enhanced the charge collection efficiency. According to the photocatalytic results, the 0.625%GO/Ag 3 PO 4 /AgBr sample shows the highest photocatalytic activity, about 3.6 times higher than that of Ag 3 PO 4 . According to the radical trapping test, the O 2 − and OH radicals, together with h + are the dominant active species in the GO/Ag 3 PO 4 /AgBr photocatalytic process. A possible photocatalytic mechanism for photocatalytic degradation over GO/Ag 3 PO 4 /AgBr was proposed.