Cu(II) cocatalyst modified Ag@AgCl cubic cages with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity and stability

A facile, template-assisted synthetic route was applied to synthesize Ag@AgCl cubic cages. Ag@AgCl was modified with Cu(II) cocatalyst by a simple impregnation route. The obtained Cu(II)–Ag@AgCl showed excellent photocatalytic activity for the decolorization of methyl orange (MO). MO was completely decolorized under visible light within 120 s. Phenol was completely decomposed in 40 min. A possible mechanism was proposed: Cu(II) cocatalyst worked as a reduction active site through a self-recovery process. Electrons were transferred from valence band of AgCl efficiently, and then reacted with oxygen through a multi-electron oxygen reduction process. ·OH radicals were confirmed as the main active species for the degradation of organics while ·O₂ ⁻ radicals were absent compared to Ag@AgCl. The modification of Cu(II) cocatalyst significantly enhanced visible light catalysis activity and stability of Ag@AgCl. Compared with frequently-used noble metal cocatalyst, the cheap and abundant Cu(II) cocatalyst shows huge potential in design and synthesis high photocatalytic performance materials for practical application.