The synthesis of the near-spherical AgCl crystal for visible light photocatalytic applications.

The near-spherical AgCl micro-crystals were prepared by an ionic liquids-assisted hydrothermal method. The influence of ionic liquids (C(x)MimCl x = 4, 8, 12, 16) on (001) facet growth of AgCl was studied systemically. The composition of the as-prepared samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and FTIR spectra. The morphological structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Based on experimental data and the classical crystal growth theory, a plausible growth mechanism of the near-spherical AgCl was proposed. The plasmonic photocatalyst Ag@AgCl prepared from the near-spherical AgCl showed higher activity than that of cubic morphologies.