Novel visible-light-driven Fe 2 O 3 /Ag 3 VO 4 composite with enhanced photocatalytic activity toward organic pollutants degradation

In this study, a new type of high-performance visible light photocatalyst Fe 2 O 3 /Ag 3 VO 4 was prepared by a two-step method. Fe 2 O 3 was prepared by a solvothermal method first and then the Fe 2 O 3 /Ag 3 VO 4 photocatalyst was synthesized with different mass ratios by a simple chemical precipitation method. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy (in DRS mode), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were applied to characterize the as-prepared samples. The results showed that the as-prepared photocatalyst was uniform in the shape of particles. Photocatalytic properties of the as-prepared samples were evaluated by degrading RhB under visible light. The results showed that 1% Fe 2 O 3 /Ag 3 VO 4 composite presented the highest photocatalytic activity. After 60 min, 96.1% of RhB was degraded by 1% Fe 2 O 3 /Ag 3 VO 4 composite. Finally, trapping experiments confirmed that the hole (h + ) and superoxide free radical (˙O 2 − ) were the main active species in degrading RhB.