in situ synthesis of Ag@Ag3PO4/MWCNT triples hetero-photocatalyst for degradation of malachite green

Abstract The Ag@Ag3PO4/MWCNT triple heterostructure nanocomposites were facilely fabricated by an in-situ reduction method. The multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was fully enwrapped by Ag@Ag3PO4 nanocrystals with an average diameter of 200 nm. Ag@Ag3PO4/MWCNT hetero-photocatalyst showed strong absorbance in the visible regions. Compared with Ag@Ag3PO4, Ag@Ag3PO4/MWCNT hetero-photocatalyst exhibited significantly higher photocatalytic activities under the irradiation of visible light for the photodegradation of malachite green (MG), as the MWCNT could facilitate charge transfer and suppress the recombination of electron–hole pairs. This study provided an invaluable methodology for designing and fabrication of highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts for catalytic and new energy applications.