Dual-pathway charge transfer mechanism of anatase/rutile TiO2-Ag3PO4 hollow photocatalyst promotes efficient degradation of pesticides.

[Display omitted] • A/R-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst was prepared by depositing Ag 3 PO 4 on the surface of anatase/rutile TiO 2 hollow spheres. • A/R-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 exhibited more efficient than A-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 and P25-Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalysts in pesticides degradation. • The combination of hollow structure and dual-heterojunction was the key parameter in promoting efficient photocatalytic performance. • Dual-pathway charge transfer mechanism suppresses the recombination of photogenerated charge pairs. • The photodegradation pathways and mechanism of pesticide were detailed. Exploring high-performance photocatalysts still remains a big challenge due to poor charge separation efficiency. Herein, we prepare a novel anatase/rutile TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 hollow photocatalyst (A/R-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4) for addressing this challenge. Microstructural characterization and photoelectric measurements confirm that the synergy of hollow structure and dual-heterojunction can provide abundant active sites and boost efficient charge separation through dual-pathway charge transfer mechanism. The A/R-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst exhibits the highest photocurrent density (15.25 µA cm−2), which is 8.4 and 5.2 times than that of A-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 (1.82 µA cm−2) and P25-Ag 3 PO 4 (2.93 µA cm−2), respectively. Photo-degradation experiment shows that A/R-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 presents a high degradation percentage (98.7 %) of thiamethoxam (THX) within 30 min, which is 1.45 and 1.23 times than that of A-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 (68.1 %) and P25-Ag 3 PO 4 (80.7 %), respectively. Furthermore, the degradation percentage of THX by A/R-TiO 2 -Ag 3 PO 4 is as high as 96.4 % after seven successive cycles, indicating excellent cycling stability. Therefore, this work provides a new insight into exploring other high-performance photocatalysts by combining hollow structure and dual-heterojunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]