Visible light-responsive Ag/LaTiO3 nanowire photocatalysts for efficient elimination of atrazine herbicide in water

Atrazine (ATZ) is a well-known herbicide used in agriculture in most countries and has caused many concerns because of its toxicity. In this work, we have prepared LaTiO3 nanowires that responsive to visible light irradiation through the photo-assisted deposition of Ag on its surface. The obtained photocatalysts were applied for the elimination of ATZ from water samples. The loading of LaTiO3 nanowires with Ag improved both surface texture and enhanced the light absorption in the visible range. The presence of Ag confirms the reduction of the bandgap of LaTiO3 down to 2.6 eV at 2.5 wt% loading. The Ag-loaded LaTiO3 nanowires exhibit a complete photodegradation of ATZ by the visible light after just 40 min at an optimized dose of 1.2 gL−1. The high performance of LaTiO3 photocatalyst due to the effect of adding Ag. The Ag reduces the electron-hole recombination that effectively outperforms the other unloaded LaTiO3 sample. The study sheds light on using perovskite oxide photocatalysts for the elimination of herbicides from wastewater under visible light irradiation. [Display omitted] •Ag/LaTiO3 nanowires were prepared by simple route.•Visible-light absorption and carrier separation suppressed by doping with Ag.•Ag/LaTiO3 showed complete photodegradation of ATZ after 40 min under visible light.