Ag-NPs coating influence on TiO2-NTs photocatalytic performances on Amido Black staining

Abstract In this work, the photocatalyst activity of a nanohybrid system based on Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated on TiO2-NTs structure is investigated. The Ag NPs decoration was performed with a simple and low cost photoreduction process. The Ag NPs size has been tuned through the photoreduction time. Several analyses and testing were carried out to determine the prepared samples' structural, optical, and morphological properties and their photocatalytic capabilities using SEM, TEM, XRD, PL, and UV spectrometer. The amido black staining dye was used as the organic pollutant. A high photodegradation efficiency is obtained and showed a 96.4% after 270 min for the 10 min Ag photo-reduced sample. A significant reaction rate of about 0.0122 min, which was higher than other samples. These results proved that this heterojunction could be successfully used for other applications such as photo-electrochemical solar cells, hydrogen generation, biosensors, gas detection, and more.