Plasmonic composites WO₃/Bi₁₂O₁₇Cl₂ decorated with uniform Ag nanoparticles in tiny size: Synthesis, analyses, and visible-light photocatalytic performance

Various novel ternary composites Ag/WO₃/Bi₁₂O₁₇Cl₂ were successfully constructed through a rapid and facile microwave-assisted approach to decorate Ag nanoparticles onto WO₃/Bi₁₂O₁₇Cl₂ surface. Through analyses, three expected components were coexisted and formed n–p heterojunctions with Ag nanoparticles of uniform morphology and size below 20 nm. These plasmonic composites with favorable physiochemical properties showed greatly reinforced photocatalytic performance over degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange (MO), and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) upon visible light irradiation. Moreover, these samples exhibited satisfactory structural stability and reusability in both aqueous and saline solution. Eventually, a plausible photocatalysis mechanism was speculated upon analytical and experimental results. Such investigation might provide a series of ternary composites with small size of Ag nanoparticles for sake of contaminants control and environmental preservation.