Highly effective silver/semiconductor photocatalytic composites prepared by a silver mirror reaction

Nano silver particles loaded on micrometer-size TiO₂, nanosize TiO₂, and BiVO₄ were prepared by a silver mirror reaction (SMR), which is an old and well-known method. Morphology of silver on the surface of semiconductor particles was characterized by energy dispersion spectrum, transmission electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction. The photocatalytic activities of these photocatalysts were evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange and hydrogen production under UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. The experimental results indicated that the photocatalytic activities of Ag/TiO₂ and Ag/BiVO₄ composites prepared by the SMR were remarkably higher than those prepared by the photoinduced deposition method.