Ionic liquid oxidation synthesis of Ag@AgCl core–shell structure for photocatalytic application under visible-light irradiation

Ag@AgCl core–shell nanocomposite was synthesized by using [Bmim]FeCl4 IL etching Ag nanowires into Ag@AgCl in solution at room temperature. The obtained samples exhibited highly visible-light photocatalytic ability for the degradation of methyl orange and 4-chlorophenol in water solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the presence of Ag and AgCl crystals. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of the samples revealed that AgCl nanoparticles (NPs) formed on the surface of Ag nanowires. UV–vis spectroscopy showed that Ag@AgCl core–shell structure enhanced its absorption in the visible-light region. The results showed that the absorption ability of Ag@AgCl was related to the change of Ag@AgCl. The absorption ability of the samples increased with the increasing etching time, and the enhancing photocatalytic ability was due to the increasing plasmonic absorbance of the photocatalysts. The effect of the etching time on the photocatalyst activity was studied, and the reaction mechanism was proposed.