TY - JOUR
T1 - High-Performance Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production and Degradation of Levofloxacin by Wide Spectrum-Responsive Ag/Fe 3 O 4 Bridged SrTiO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 Plasmonic Nanojunctions
T2 - Joint Effect of Ag and Fe 3 O 4
AU - Kumar, Amit
AU - Rana, Anamika
AU - Sharma, Gaurav
AU - Naushad, Mu
AU - Al-Muhtaseb, Ala'a H.
AU - Guo, Changsheng
AU - Iglesias-Juez, Ana
AU - Stadler, Florian J.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding this work through research group no. RG-1436-034.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2018 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2018/11/28
Y1 - 2018/11/28
N2 - Highly photoresponsive semiconductor photocatalysis for energy and environmental applications require judicious choice and optimization of semiconductor interfaces for wide spectral capabilities. This work aims at rational designing of highly active SrTiO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 junctions bridged with Ag/Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles for utilizing Z-scheme transfer and surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag augmented by iron oxide. The SrTiO 3 /(Ag/Fe 3 O 4 )/g-C 3 N 4 (SFC) catalyst was employed for photocatalytic hydrogen production and photodegradation of levofloxacin (LFC; 20 mg/L) under UV, visible, near infra-red, and natural solar light exhibiting high performance. Under visible light (<780 nm), SFC-3 sample (30 wt % g-C 3 N 4 and 3% Ag/Fe 3 O 4 ) shows a H 2 evolution of 2008 μmol g -1 h -1 which is ∼14 times that of bare g-C 3 N 4 . In addition, 99.3% removal of LFC was degraded in 90 min under visible light with retention of activity under sun. The inherent topological properties, complete, higher charge separation, and reduced recombination allowed this catalyst for a high photocatalytic response which was proved by UV-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and photocurrent response measurements. Scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance analysis reveal that the mechanism shifts from a dual charge transfer in case of binary junction to essential Z-scheme with incorporation of Ag/Fe 3 O 4 . Both • O 2 - and • OH are main active radicals in visible light, whereas • O 2 - majorly participate under UV. The synergistic effect of SrTiO 3 , g-C 3 N 4 , and plasmon resonance of Ag/Fe 3 O 4 not only improves light response and reduce recombination but also enhances the redox-ability of charge carriers. A H 2 production mechanism and LFC degradation pathway (degradation, defluorination, and hydrolysis) has been predicted. This work paves a way for development of photocatalysts working in practical conditions for pollution and energy issues.
AB - Highly photoresponsive semiconductor photocatalysis for energy and environmental applications require judicious choice and optimization of semiconductor interfaces for wide spectral capabilities. This work aims at rational designing of highly active SrTiO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 junctions bridged with Ag/Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles for utilizing Z-scheme transfer and surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag augmented by iron oxide. The SrTiO 3 /(Ag/Fe 3 O 4 )/g-C 3 N 4 (SFC) catalyst was employed for photocatalytic hydrogen production and photodegradation of levofloxacin (LFC; 20 mg/L) under UV, visible, near infra-red, and natural solar light exhibiting high performance. Under visible light (<780 nm), SFC-3 sample (30 wt % g-C 3 N 4 and 3% Ag/Fe 3 O 4 ) shows a H 2 evolution of 2008 μmol g -1 h -1 which is ∼14 times that of bare g-C 3 N 4 . In addition, 99.3% removal of LFC was degraded in 90 min under visible light with retention of activity under sun. The inherent topological properties, complete, higher charge separation, and reduced recombination allowed this catalyst for a high photocatalytic response which was proved by UV-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and photocurrent response measurements. Scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance analysis reveal that the mechanism shifts from a dual charge transfer in case of binary junction to essential Z-scheme with incorporation of Ag/Fe 3 O 4 . Both • O 2 - and • OH are main active radicals in visible light, whereas • O 2 - majorly participate under UV. The synergistic effect of SrTiO 3 , g-C 3 N 4 , and plasmon resonance of Ag/Fe 3 O 4 not only improves light response and reduce recombination but also enhances the redox-ability of charge carriers. A H 2 production mechanism and LFC degradation pathway (degradation, defluorination, and hydrolysis) has been predicted. This work paves a way for development of photocatalysts working in practical conditions for pollution and energy issues.
KW - graphitic carbon nitride
KW - hetero-junction
KW - hydrogen production
KW - pharmaceutical effluents
KW - plasmonic Ag
KW - strontium titanate
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U2 - 10.1021/acsami.8b12753
DO - 10.1021/acsami.8b12753
M3 - Article
C2 - 30387348
AN - SCOPUS:85056752602
SN - 1944-8244
VL - 10
SP - 40474
EP - 40490
JO - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
JF - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
IS - 47
ER -