Ag(2)WO(4) nanorods decorated with AgI nanoparticles: Novel and efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts for the degradation of water pollutants

To develop efficient and stable visible-light-driven (VLD) photocatalysts for pollutant degradation, we synthesized novel heterojunction photocatalysts comprised of AgI nanoparticle-decorated Ag(2)WO(4) nanorods via a facile method. Various characterization techniques, including XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX, and UV–vis DRS were used to investigate the morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared AgI/Ag(2)WO(4) catalyst. With AgI acting as the cocatalyst, the resulting AgI/Ag(2)WO(4) heterostructure shows excellent performance in degrading toxic, stable pollutants such as rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange (MO) and para-chlorophenol (4-CP). The high performance is attributed to the enhanced visible-light absorption properties and the promoted separation efficiency of charge carriers through the formation of the heterojunction between AgI and Ag(2)WO(4). Additionally, AgI/Ag(2)WO(4) exhibits durable stability. The active species trapping experiment reveals that active species (O(2)(•−) and h(+)) dominantly contribute to RhB degradation. The AgI/Ag(2)WO(4) heterojunction photocatalyst characterized in this work holds great potential for remedying environmental issues due to its simple preparation method and excellent photocatalytic performance.