Rational Design of Wide Spectral-Responsive Heterostructures of Au Nanorod Coupled Ag3PO4 with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance.

Noble metallic nanomaterials with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects and hot electron cell effects open new opportunities for designing efficient visible-light-driven hybrid photocatalysts. In this work, we reported a broadband visible-light responsive photocatalyst by incorporating Au nanorods (AuNRs) into Ag3PO4 nanostructures. The longitudinal plasma of AuNRs enabled AuNRs/Ag3PO4 heterostructures to harvest light energy up to 800 nm. The obtained AuNRs/Ag3PO4 hybrid exhibited enhanced photocatalytic efficiency toward the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under solar irradiation. Ag3PO4, RhB, and AuNRs played different roles according to the distinct optical properties of each individual component. The dominant photocatalytic process in the different light regions were divided as follows: direct excitation of Ag3PO4 for λ ≥ 420 nm, RhB sensitization for λ ≥ 550 nm, and SPR effect for λ ≥ 600 nm. The relationship between the pathway of charge transfer and the photocatalytic activity of the AuNRs/Ag3PO4 heterostructures was investigated systematically, revealing the specific role of AuNRs in regulating the photocatalytic activity. This work presents an innovative strategy for determining the comprehensive function of the SPR effect in relevant semiconductor-based photocatalysis and functional nanodevices with a broadband light responses.