Ag₃PO₄@Ni₃S₂ core/shell nanorod arrays for visible light degradation of organic contaminants

In this study, Ag 3 PO 4 @Ni 3 S 2 core/shell nanorod arrays on Ni foam substrate were fabrciated by a method of combining hydrothermal and in situ deposition. The resultant products were characterized by XRD, SEM, UV–vis, XPS and photocurrent response, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of Ag 3 PO 4 @Ni 3 S 2 were conducted by photodegradation rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. The final results confirmed that the photocatalytic activity of Ag 3 PO 4 @Ni 3 S 2 samples show an obvious improvement compared with pure Ag 3 PO 4 . This enhanced performance could be attributed to the fact the charge recombination can be effectively suppressed and the photocorrosion effect of Ag 3 PO 4 can be inhibited as the photogenerated electrons on the conduction band of Ag 3 PO 4 can inject to Ni 3 S 2 . The maximum value of total removal rate were showed in Ag 3 PO 4 @Ni 3 S 2 -40 (where 40 represnsents the mass fraction of Ag 3 PO 4 ), which were 2.12 times than pure Ag 3 PO 4 . More importantly, the Ag 3 PO 4 @Ni 3 S 2 -40 sample exhibits excellent stability under cyclic experiment. A plausible mechanism of photodegradation RhB over Ag 3 PO 4 @Ni 3 S 2 sample was also discussed.