Gamma Radiation Synthesis of Ag/P25 Nanocomposites for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Contaminant
Zihua Zeng,
Shuangxiao Li,
Xueyan Que,
Jing Peng,
Jiuqiang Li,
Maolin Zhai
Affiliations
Zihua Zeng
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Radiochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Shuangxiao Li
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Radiochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Xueyan Que
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Radiochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Jing Peng
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Radiochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Jiuqiang Li
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Radiochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Maolin Zhai
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Radiochemistry and Radiation Chemistry Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science, The Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has garnered significant attention among various photocatalysts, whereas its photocatalytic activity is limited by its wide bandgap and inefficient charge separation, making the exploration of new strategies to improve its photocatalytic performance increasingly important. Here, we report the synthesis of Ag/P25 nanocomposites through a one-step gamma-ray radiation method using AgNO3 and commercial TiO2 (Degussa P25). The resulting products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis diffused reflectance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The effect of free radical scavengers, feed ratios of Ag/P25, and dose rates on the photocatalytic activity of the Ag/P25 nanocomposites were systematically investigated using rhodamine B under Xenon light irradiation. The results showed that the Ag/P25 photocatalyst synthesized with a feed ratio of 2.5 wt% and isopropyl alcohol as the free radical scavenger at a dose rate of 130 Gy/min exhibited outstanding photocatalytic activity, with a reaction rate constant of 0.0674 min−1, much higher than that of P25. Additionally, we found that the particle size of Ag could be effectively controlled by changing the dose rate, and the Ag/P25 nanocomposites doped with smaller size of Ag nanoparticles performed higher photocatalytic activities. The synthesis strategy presented in this study offers new insight into the future development of highly efficient photocatalysts using radiation techniques.
