Synthesis and characterization of Ag-AgVO/CuO heterostructure with improved visible-light photocatalytic performance.

Heterostructure Ag-AgVO/CuO photocatalyst was prepared by the hydrothermal procedure. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by different physico-chemical techniques. For Ag-AgVO/CuO composites, AgVO shows the monoclinic phase whereas Ag and CuO show a cubic phase. SEM images of Ag-AgVO/CuO composites illustrated that the surface of AgVO nanorods was covered by Ag and CuO nanoparticles. Ultra violet - visible diffuse reflectance spectra revealed that the calculated optical response of Ag-AgVO/CuO composite was found to be 2.24 eV. Additionally, the composite catalyst demonstrated improved photo-efficiency for the decolorization of methylene blue dye compared to that of pristine AgVO. The better performance of the composite sample can be ascribed to its high charge separation and inhibition in recombination of charges in Ag-AgVO/CuO catalyst Finally, this heterostructure Ag-AgVO/CuO catalyst demonstrated good stability which simply can be recycled a number of times with steadiness; thus, unwraps new possibilities for applications as innovative photocatalyst.