Rapid Synthesis Method of Ag<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> as Reusable Photocatalytically Active Semiconductor
Zsejke-Réka Tóth,
Diána Debreczeni,
Tamás Gyulavári,
István Székely,
Milica Todea,
Gábor Kovács,
Monica Focșan,
Klara Magyari,
Lucian Baia,
Zsolt Pap,
Klara Hernadi
Affiliations
Zsejke-Réka Tóth
Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla sqr. 1, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
Diána Debreczeni
Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla sqr. 1, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
Tamás Gyulavári
Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla sqr. 1, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
István Székely
Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano-Interfaces Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian str. 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Milica Todea
Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano-Interfaces Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian str. 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Gábor Kovács
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Aleea Sighișoarei 1C, 530104 Târgu Mureș/Corunca, Romania
Monica Focșan
Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Treboniu Laurian str. 42, Babes-Bolyai University, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Klara Magyari
Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano-Interfaces Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian str. 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Lucian Baia
Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano-Interfaces Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian str. 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Zsolt Pap
Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla sqr. 1, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
Klara Hernadi
Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla sqr. 1, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
The widespread use of Ag3PO4 is not surprising when considering its higher photostability compared to other silver-based materials. The present work deals with the facile precipitation method of silver phosphate. The effects of four different phosphate sources (H3PO4, NaH2PO4, Na2HPO4, Na3PO4·12 H2O) and two different initial concentrations (0.1 M and 0.2 M) were investigated. As the basicity of different phosphate sources influences the purity of Ag3PO4, different products were obtained. Using H3PO4 did not lead to the formation of Ag3PO4, while applying NaH2PO4 resulted in Ag3PO4 and a low amount of pyrophosphate. The morphological and structural properties of the obtained samples were studied by X-ray diffractometry, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the materials and the corresponding reaction kinetics were evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light. Their stability was investigated by reusability tests, photoluminescence measurements, and the recharacterization after degradation. The effect of as-deposited Ag nanoparticles was also highlighted on the photostability and the reusability of Ag3PO4. Although the deposited Ag nanoparticles suppressed the formation of holes and reduced the degradation of methyl orange, they did not reduce the performance of the photocatalyst.