Synthesis of Ag/AgBr/Bi4O5Br2 Plasmonic Heterojunction Photocatalysts: Elevated Visible‐light Photocatalytic Performance and Z‐scheme Mechanism

The novel photocatalysts of Ag/AgBr/Bi4O5Br2 layered microspheres (AAB‐LMs) were firstly constructed via the in‐situ deposition and visible‐light photoreduction approach. Their compositions, structures, morphologies and optical properties were characterized by various techniques. The photocatalytic efficiencies of AAB‐LMs‐10 were 28 and 3.4 times higher than those of Bi4O5Br2‐LMs towards degrading acid orange II and aniline, respectively. The superior photocatalytic behavior of AAB‐LMs benefited from efficient separation and transfer of photo‐generated charges, which was mainly credited to the surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag nanoparticles and the synthetic interaction among Ag, AgBr and Bi4O5Br2. O2− and h+ were characterized as the predominant photoactive species in this AAB‐LMs‐photocatalysis system. Moreover, due to the presence of radical species Br0, which was verified by the detection of bromoaniline and dibromoaniline during the photocatalytic degradation process of aniline, Z‐scheme mechanism rather than the conventional heterojunction mode was more suitable to explain the enhanced photocatalytic performance of AAB‐LMs. Next level silver: The novel plasmonic heterojunction photocatalysts of Ag/AgBr/Bi4O5Br2 layered microspheres (AAB‐LMs) were successfully synthesized by the in‐situ deposition and visible‐light photoreduction approach. They performed elevated photocatalytic activities towards the degradation of acid orange II and aniline under visible‐light irradiation than Bi‐O‐Br and Ag/AgBr, which was mainly credited to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag nanoparticles and the synthetic interaction among Ag, AgBr and Bi4O5Br2