Fabrication of a novel plasmonic Z-scheme AgCl/Ag/CdS photocatalyst for efficient removal of malachite green in seawater: Performance and mechanism exploration

• Published in: Journal of environmental chemical engineering Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 113863
• Main Authors: Liu, Jize, Yang, Wenchao, Gao, Cong, Jin, Qingqing, Wang, Haoxiang, Liu, Tianqi, Han, Jianbo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2024
• Subjects: Advanced oxidation; AgCl/Ag/CdS; Malachite green; Plasmonic Z-scheme photocatalyst; Seawater; Plasmonic Z-scheme photocatalyst; Advanced oxidation; AgCl/Ag/CdS; Seawater; Malachite green
• ISSN: 2213-3437
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2024.113863

Seawater resources are increasingly being damaged by human activities, and it is crucial to deal effectively with polluted seawater resources. Herein, we prepare a novel plasmonic Z-scheme AgCl/Ag/CdS photocatalyst for the removal of malachite green (MG) in seawater via physical wet mixing technique. The successful construction of the plasmonic Z-scheme photocatalytic system is beneficial to the separation and migration of the photo-induced carriers, which is conducive to promoting the mineralization of MG in seawater into CO2 and H2O. The Ag nanoparticles positioned between AgCl and CdS nanoparticles can induce the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, which can be regarded as the conductive channel for the separation of the photo-induced carriers. In pure water, the AgCl/Ag/CdS photocatalyst shows a high degradation extent (98.27 %) for MG. In simulated seawater, the degradation extent of MG still reaches 94.32 % (K = 0.0208 min−1), which is 4.33 folds higher than pure CdS and 2.57 folds higher than pure AgCl. Further, the effects (such as MG concentration, solution pH level, etc.) on the catalytic activity of the AgCl/Ag/CdS photocatalyst are investigated. Possible degradation pathways for MG in seawater during photocatalytic reactions are proposed. Meanwhile, we explore the corresponding photocatalytic mechanism based on the formation of free radicals. The novel photocatalysis technology proposed in this study is expected to provide theoretical basis and methodological support for seawater purification.
[Display omitted]
•Plasmonic Z-scheme AgCl/Ag/CdS nanocomposite photocatalytic system is fabricated.•AgCl/Ag/CdS photocatalyst performs significantly improved catalytic performance.•Ag nanoparticles can induce the SPR effect and be regarded as the electric channel.•AgCl/Ag/CdS can be used to efficiently remove MG from seawater under sunlight.•AgCl/Ag/CdS photocatalyst possesses high recycling efficiency and good stability.