Photodegradation of rhodamine B by Ag3PO4/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites under visible light illumination

Heterostructure Ag3PO4/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites were synthesized by a deposition–precipitation method at high temperature and pressure. The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In this research, cubic Ag3PO4 nanoparticles were deposited on orthorhombic Bi2MoO6 nanoplates. For 10.0 wt % Ag3PO4 loading, the Ag3PO4 nanoparticles with 5–10 nm in size were detected across the surface of Bi2MoO6 nanoplates. The effect of Ag3PO4 content on the photocatalytic properties was investigated by evaluating the degradation of rhodamine B under visible white light. The Ag3PO4/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites exhibited more enhanced photocatalytic activity than the pure Bi2MoO6. Electron–hole diffusion in Ag3PO4/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposites and photodegradation mechanism of rhodamine B were also discussed in this report.