Abstract A series of WO3/Ag3PO4 composites with varying amounts of WO3 were successfully synthesized by a surfactant-free hydrothermal method and utilized for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) under visible-light irradiation. The formation of a composite structure with the decoration of WO3 nanocrystals on the surface of tetrapod-like Ag3PO4 was clearly seen in the materials characterization. The surface of Ag3PO4 tetrapods was found to be homogenously decorated with WO3 nanocrystals depending on their incremental amount, and an adjacent contact between the coupling materials was resulted that instigated the formation of heterointerfaces in the composites. The visible light absorption of WO3 was significantly improved by its coupling with Ag3PO4 tetrapods. The photoluminescence, electrochemical impedance and photocurrent density analyses indicated the increased life time of the charge carriers with reduced electron-hole pair recombination rate. The photocatalytic activity results had shown that within 24 min of visible light irradiation, the 50 % WO3/Ag3PO4 composite achieved ∼96 % TC degradation with a TC mineralization efficiency of 15.4 %. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composites could be attributed to the facile separation of the photoinduced charge carriers through a Z-scheme type charge transfer mechanism at the heterointerface. The scavenger studies specified the primary role of holes and hydroxyl radicals in the oxidative degradation of TC. Additionally, the 50 % WO3/Ag3PO4 composite was effectively reused for four cycles of TC degradation with a gradual loss in its activity, whereas the Ag3PO4 tetrapods suffered a rapid photocorrosion. It validates the superior role of charge transfer process in the photocorrosion inhibition of Ag3PO4 tetrapods.

中文翻译：

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WO3纳米晶体装饰Ag3PO4四足体作为一种有效的可见光响应Z型光催化剂，用于增强水介质中四环素的降解

摘要 采用无表面活性剂水热法成功合成了一系列不同WO3含量的WO3/Ag3PO4复合材料，用于可见光下光催化降解四环素(TC)。在材料表征中可以清楚地看到在四足类 Ag3PO4 表面形成了带有 WO3 纳米晶体装饰的复合结构。发现 Ag3PO4 四足体的表面被 WO3 纳米晶体均匀装饰，这取决于它们的增量，并且耦合材料之间的相邻接触导致复合材料中异质界面的形成。通过与 Ag3PO4 四足体的耦合，WO3 的可见光吸收得到显着改善。光致发光，电化学阻抗和光电流密度分析表明电荷载流子的寿命增加，电子-空穴对复合率降低。光催化活性结果表明，在可见光照射 24 分钟内，50% WO3/Ag3PO4 复合材料实现了约 96% 的 TC 降解，TC 矿化效率为 15.4%。复合材料增强的光催化活性可归因于通过异质界面处的 Z 型电荷转移机制轻松分离光生电荷载流子。清除剂研究明确了空穴和羟基自由基在 TC 氧化降解中的主要作用。此外，50% WO3/Ag3PO4 复合材料有效地重复使用了四个循环的 TC 降解，其活性逐渐降低，而 Ag3PO4 四足体遭受快速光腐蚀。它验证了电荷转移过程在 Ag3PO4 四足体的光腐蚀抑制中的优越作用。