Preparation and characterization of Ag2O/SWNTs photocatalysts and its photodegradation on tetracycline

•The Ag2O/SWCNTs composited photocatalysts were prepared by precipitated method.•The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the synergic effect of SWNTs and Ag2O.•Ag2O/SWNTs composited photocatalysts exhibited perfect stability for degradation of TC. The Ag2O/SWNTs photocatalysts were prepared by precipitated method, the photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, BET, UV–vis DRS, XPS, PL and Raman. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by degradation of tetracycline. The results showed that the composited photocatalysts were successfully prepared, the responded light was enhanced with increasing the supported dosage of Ag2O, and the photocatalytic activity was also improved. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the synergy effect of SWNTs and Ag2O, the recycled degradation of tetracycline exhibited stability of Ag2O/SWNTs composited photocatalysts. Finally, the possible mechanism for transferred processes of photoelectrons and photoholes were proposed.