Facile fabrication of Ag₃VO₄/attapulgite composites for highly efficient visible light-driven photodegradation towards organic dyes and tetracycline hydrochloride

An efficient one-dimensional attapulgite (ATP)-based photocatalyst, Ag₃VO₄/ATP nanocomposite, was fabricated by a facile deposition precipitation method with well-dispersed Ag₃VO₄ nanoparticles anchored on the surface of natural ATP fibers. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) were employed to investigate the morphologies, structure, and optical property of the prepared photocatalysts. The photocatalytic experiments indicated that the Ag₃VO₄/ATP nanocomposites exhibited enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange (MO), and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), of which the 20 wt% Ag₃VO₄/ATP sample showed superb photocatalytic performance. As demonstrated by N₂ adsorption-desorption, photocurrent measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra analyses, the improved photocatalytic activity arose from the enlarged surface area, the facilitated charge transfer, and the suppressed recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in Ag₃VO₄/ATP system. Furthermore, radical scavengers trapping experiments and recycling tests were also conducted. This work gives a new insight into fabrication of highly efficient, stable, and cost-effective visible light-driven photocatalyst for practical application in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation.