Surface-sulfurized Ag2O Nanoparticles with Stable Full-Solar-spectrum Photocatalytic Activity

Ag2O has attracted much recent attention, because of its high photocatalytic activity in the ultraviolet (UV)-visible region. However, there have been few reports on the near-infrared (NIR) photocatalytic activity of Ag2O. This paper reports the high NIR photocatalytic activity of Ag2O nanoparticles. Ag2O is unsuitable for application in full-solar-spectrum photocatalysis, because it is unstable under UV irradiation. A surface sulfurization process was carried out to address this issue. Specifically, a layer of Ag2S2O7 nanoparticles was grown on the surface of the Ag2O nanoparticles, to improve the stability of the Ag2O photocatalyst and enhance its photocatalytic activity in the UV, visible and NIR regions. The Ag2O/Ag2S2O7 heterostructure is a stable and efficient full-solar-spectrum photocatalyst. It has potential application in the photodegradation of organic pollutants, and more generally in environmental engineering where full utilization of the solar spectrum is required.