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Curcumin‐Functionalized Ag/Ag 2 O Nanocomposites: Efficient Visible‐Light Z‐scheme Photocatalysts
Author(s) -
Kumar Sunil,
Verma Alkadevi,
Pal Shaili,
Sinha Indrajit
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/php.12910
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , photochemistry , rhodamine b , surface plasmon resonance , radical , curcumin , visible spectrum , methyl orange , materials science , aqueous solution , plasmon , nanocomposite , irradiation , nanoparticle , chemistry , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , catalysis , organic chemistry , biochemistry , physics , nuclear physics
Curcumin‐functionalized Ag/Ag 2 O (c‐Ag/Ag 2 O) nanocomposites with varying proportions of curcumin and Ag/Ag 2 O were prepared by a simple one pot green synthesis protocol in aqueous medium. The plasmonic band undergoes slight redshift, broadening and decrease in intensity with increase in the proportion of Ag 2 O formed. These composite nanoparticles were found to be efficient visible‐light photocatalysts for aerobic oxidation of methyl orange and rhodamine B (RhB). Functionalization by curcumin significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity with good reusability. The photocatalytic oxidation rate showed super linear increase with light intensity because of localized surface plasmon resonance ( LSPR )‐induced strong near field. The trapping experiments confirmed that superoxide radicals were the main active species responsible for the degradation reaction. A plasmonic Z‐scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proposed to explain the possible charge transfer and separation behavior of electron–hole pairs among Ag, Ag 2 O and curcumin under visible‐light irradiation.