Plasmon Ag decorated 3D urchinlike N-TiO for enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance.

Plasmon Ag decorated 3D urchinlike N-TiO photocatalysts are successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal treatment (180 °C) and combined with a photo-deposition approach, followed by a reduction treatment. The results show that the resultant Ag/N-TiO sample possesses a three-dimensional (3D) urchinlike nanostructure with high crystallinity of anatase. Meanwhile, it exhibits the narrow optical band gap (Eg ∼ 2.61 eV) and the excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance. Moreover, the hydrogen generation rate and photocatalytic degradation rate of phenol are up to 186.2 μmol h g and 97.7% under visible light irradiation, which are about 4.2 and 5.4 folds greater than that of N-TiO. The mechanism of photocatalytic process is also proposed, and the enhanced photocatalytic property is mainly due to the synergistic reaction of the Ti and N codoping, which narrows the band gap and favors the utilization of visible light, and the plasmon effect of Ag nanoparticles and unique 3D urchinlike architecture, which are propitious to the separation and transmission of photogenerated carriers.