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A Z‐Scheme Polyimide/AgBr@Ag Aerogel with Excellent Photocatalytic Performance for the Degradation of Oxytetracycline
Author(s) -
Zhao Xinfu,
Wang Xinqiang,
Zhang Jian,
Yi Xibin
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemistry – an asian journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.18
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1861-471X
pISSN - 1861-4728
DOI - 10.1002/asia.201801561
Subject(s) - aerogel , photocatalysis , materials science , polyimide , degradation (telecommunications) , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , composite material , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , layer (electronics) , catalysis , telecommunications , computer science , engineering
A novel Z‐scheme polyimide (PI)/AgBr@Ag aerogel photocatalyst has been successfully synthesized by combining an in situ precipitation method and a supercritical drying method. The as‐prepared PI/AgBr@Ag‐50 (50 wt % AgBr@Ag in PI/AgBr@Ag) aerogel photocatalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for oxytetracycline degradation with a rate constant of 0.025 min −1 , which was 6.9 and 2.6 times higher than that of the PI aerogel or the AgBr@Ag nanoparticles, respectively. More significantly, the PI/AgBr@Ag‐50 aerogel photocatalyst showed stable cycling, which could be attributed to the high mechanical strength and 3D network of the PI aerogel. The introduction of AgBr@Ag on PI with a heterojunction structure efficiently promoted the separation of electron–hole pairs by a Z‐scheme mechanism. The reduced metallic Ag nanoparticles were found to function as centers for the transfer of electrons from AgBr to PI. This work has revealed a new application for the aerogel PI/AgBr@Ag photocatalyst in environmental protection.