Preparation of Ag nanoparticles loaded TiO2 nanoplate arrays on activated carbon fibers with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Ag loaded TiO2 nanoplate array which grew on activated carbon fiber (ACF) was prepared in the present work. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) was used to investigate the activity of the synthesized samples. Under both UV and visible light irradiation, the Ag loaded samples showed enhanced photocatalytic activity. Besides, the effect of the deposition dosage of Ag nanoparticles on the photocatalytic activity was also investigated. Under UV light irradiation, the Ag nanoparticles acted as electron traps, which enhanced electron–hole separation efficiency of TiO2. Under visible light irradiation, the Ag nanoparticles showed surface plasmon resonance, which induced the visible light responsive photocatalytic activity for the obtained samples.