Use of Mn doping to suppress defect sites in Ag3PO4: Applications in photocatalysis

The highly active Mn-doped Ag₃PO₄ photocatalyst was successfully synthesized under coprecipitation method using AgNO₃, Na₂HPO₄·12H₂O, and MnSO₄·H₂O, followed by annealing. The products were characterized using the SEM, XRD, DRS, XPS, and BET. The results showed that the Mn doping decreased the broad absorption in the visible region and increased the atomic ratio of O/Ag. The hydroxyl defects and oxygen vacancies can be suppressed by Mn doping and the photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation could be improved. This excellent photocatalytic activity was caused by decreasing the recombination of electron and holes due to suppressing the defect sites in the surface of Ag₃PO₄.