Ag3PO4-coconut shell derived carbon composite for visible light driven photocatalysis

Ag3PO4-coconut shell derived carbon (Ag3PO4-CSC) composites were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method. To find out the optimum amount of the Ag3PO4 and CSC phases to achieve enhanced photocatalytic property, Ag3PO4-CSC composites with different weight percentages of coconut shell derived carbon (CSC) (1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 wt%) were developed. Structural, morphological and photocatalytic properties of the prepared composites were explored. As compared to the bare Ag3PO4, the photocatalytic activity of the Ag3PO4-CSC composite has substantially improved with the addition of CSC. Composite sample with 10 wt% of CSC loading exhibits a high photodegradation coefficient of 0.40 min−1 under sunlight irradiation which is about 13 times higher than that of Ag3PO4. The studies indicate that the approach is very simple and cost effective for developing visible light driven photocatalysts with superior catalytic activity.