High photocatalytic degradation efficiency of oxytetracycline hydrochloride over Ag/AgCl/BiVO4 plasmonic photocatalyst

A series of ternary Ag/AgCl/BiVO4 photocatalysts with different UV light reduction time were synthesized. All the samples were investigated and characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, PL and so on. The results of UV–Vis DRS and PL demonstrated that the ternary photocatalysts exhibited higher absorption in visible light region. And from the XRD patterns, it could be inferred that with the increase of illumination time, the content of metallic Ag on the surface of ternary photocatalysts increased. In the ternary photocatalyst system, Ag nanoparticles acted as the electron mediator and induced the surface plasmon resonance to facilite the photocatalytic activity of as-obtained ternary photocatalysts. During the photocatalytic degradation of oxytetracycline hydrochloride, the 1 h-Ag/AgCl/BiVO4 photocatalyst showed the best degradation activity, and the main active species participating in the reaction were holes and superoxide radicals. According to the experimental results, the 1 h-Ag/AgCl/BiVO4 photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability and effectively degraded OTC under a wide pH range condition or co-existing ions. The experimental results provided a scientific basis for the practical application of the 1 h-Ag/AgCl/BiVO4 photocatalyst, especially for the treatment of antibiotics in the water.