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The construction of semiconductor heterojunction photocatalysts that improve the separation and transfer of photoinduced charge carriers is an effective and widely employed strategy to boost photocatalytic performance. Herein, we have successfully constructed a CdS/Ag/Bi2WO6 Z-scheme heterojunction with an Ag-bridge as an effective charge transfer channel by a facile process. The heterostructure consists of both CdS and Ag nanoparticles anchored on the surface of Bi2WO6 nanosheets. The photocatalytic efficiency of the CdS/Ag/Bi2WO6 system was studied by the decontamination of tetracycline (TC) and Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420). The results exhibited that CdS/Ag/Bi2WO6 shows markedly higher photocatalytic performance than that of CdS, Bi2WO6, Ag/Bi2WO6, and CdS/Bi2WO6. The trapping experiment results verified that the •O2− and h+ radicals are the key active species. The results of photoluminescence spectral analysis and photocurrent responses indicated that the CdS/Ag/Bi2WO6 heterojunctions exhibit exceptional efficiency in separating and transferring photoinduced electron−hole pairs. Based on a series of characterization results, the boosted photocatalytic activity of the CdS/Ag/Bi2WO6 system is mostly due to the successful formation of the Ag-bridged Z-scheme heterojunction; these can not only inhibit the recombination rate of photoinduced charge carriers but also possess a splendid redox capacity. The work provides a way for designing a Z-scheme photocatalytic system based on Ag-bridged for boosting photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel Bi2W2O9 and Bi2Mo2O9 with irregular polyhedron structure were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Compared to ordinary Bi2WO6 and Bi2MoO6, the modified structure of Bi2W2O9 and Bi2Mo2O9 were observed, which led to an enhancement of photocatalytic performance. To investigate the possible mechanism of enhancing photocatalytic efficiency, the crystal structure, morphology, elemental composition, and optical properties of Bi2WO6, Bi2MO6, Bi2W2O9, and Bi2Mo2O9 were examined. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed the visible-light absorption ability of Bi2WO6, Bi2MO6, Bi2W2O9, and Bi2Mo2O9. Photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent indicated that Bi2W2O9 and Bi2Mo2O9 pose an enhanced ability of photogenerated electron–hole pairs separation. Radical trapping experiments revealed that photogenerated holes and superoxide radicals were the main active species. It can be conjectured that the promoted photocatalytic performance related to the modified structure, and a possible mechanism was discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]