Highly Efficient Oxidation of Gaseous Benzene on Novel Ag3VO4/TiO2Nanocomposite Photocatalysts under Visible and Simulated Solar Light Irradiation

Novel Ag3VO4/TiO2 nanocomposites photocatalysts with high efficiency and broad spectrum response were first prepared by a facile and low-cost coupling method. The samples performed high photocatalytic activity and stability in decomposing continuous-flow gaseous benzene with high toxicity and stability under both visible and simulated solar light irradiation. When the mass fraction of Ag3VO4 in nanocomposites was 0.5%, the sample possessed the highest photocatalytic activity among those Ag3VO4/TiO2 nanocomposites in different proportions. The conversion and mineralization rate reached about 40 and 60% respectively, which was nearly two times higher than that of nitrogen-doped TiO2 (TiO2–xNx), when it was used to degrade continuous-flow gaseous benzene photocatalytically at an inlet concentration of 280 ppm and a gas hourly space velocity of 876 h–1 under visible light irradiation for 10 h. Moreover, under simulated solar light irradiation, the benzene could be nearly completely conversed and mineralized on the sample. The photoelectrochemical measurement confirmed that the interface charge separation efficiency was improved by coupling TiO2 with Ag3VO4, which contributed to the enhancement of photocatalytic activity. A variety of merits of Ag3VO4/TiO2 nanocomposites make it possess promising application value in industry.