Synthesis and characterization of Ag/TiO2 plasmonic photocatalyst supported on stainless steel webnet

Abstract

Plasmonic nanostructures present substantial function in the advancement of modern materials science and technology. Plasmon-enhanced solar light is harvested to enhance the solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiency. Both organic and inorganic semiconductor materials often serve as photocatalysts for the direct conversion of solar energy into fuels, owing to their superior stability, environmental compatibility and photocatalytic activity. However, semiconductor efficiency can be hindered by their inability to absorb visible light due to the vast band gap. More recently, a number of research has been performed to enhance photocatalyst and photovoltaic device efficiency by integrating plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) with semiconductor materials. The presence of plasmonic NPs causes greater semiconductor absorption cross sections due to robust field enhancement, light absorption at longer wavelengths and enhanced electron–hole charge separation in semiconductor media, thus maximizing the efficiency of photocatalytic devices.  In this study, we have prepared a new visible-light-driven Ag/TiO₂ nanoparticles plasmonic photocatalyst coated on webnet stainless steel by the dip-coating method to enhance the visible light plasmonic photocatalyst. FESEM, EDX and UV–vis spectra analyses were carried-out to characterize the prepared catalysts. According to these tests, the Ag/TiO₂ coated on the stainless steel webnet functioned quite well. In addition, the maximum conversion of carbon dioxide was achieved at about 20%. This study may provide new insight into the design and preparation of advanced visible-light photocatalytic materials.