Reduced graphene oxide modified Ag/AgBr with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity for methyl orange degradation

A novel visible light driven photocatalyst, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-modified Ag/AgBr (Ag/AgBr/RGO), was synthesized by sequent double-jet precipitation, hydrothermal, and UV light reduction processes. The XPS and Raman results confirmed that part of GO was successfully reduced by hydrothermal treatment. Compared with Ag/AgBr, Ag/AgBr/RGO exhibited higher visible light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange. The EIS analysis revealed that Ag/AgBr/RGO has better capability for charge transfer than Ag/AgBr. The excellent photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgBr/RGO is attributed to the strong visible light absorption of Ag nanoparticles and AgBr as well as the effective separation of photogenerated electrons and holes.