One-pot synthesis of AgBr/Ag2CO3 heterojunctions with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity.

AgBr/Ag 2 CO 3 heterojunctions were synthesized via a simple one-pot co-precipitation process. Namely, the growth of Ag 2 CO 3 and AgBr crystals occurred simultaneously in one single process. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared samples was investigated by degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. An enhancement in photocatalytic activity was observed in AgBr/Ag 2 CO 3 composites compared with pure AgBr and Ag 2 CO 3 . We also investigated the effect of the ratio of AgBr/Ag 2 CO 3 on the photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared heterojunctions. With the optimal theoretical Br − / CO 3 2 - molar ratio of 1:2, the sample exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]