Photocatalytic Activity Evolution of Different Morphological TiO2 Shells on Ag Nanowires

Graphical One morphology to rule them all : Ag nanowire@TiO 2 (Ag NW@TiO 2 ) heterostructures with three different morphologies were successfully prepared. The Ag NW@TiO 2 core–shell structure exhibited an excellent photocatalytic activity compared with the other two morphologies, owing to the well-developed combined interface between Ag and TiO 2 . Ag nanowire@TiO 2 (Ag NW@TiO 2 ) heterostructures with core–shell, necklace-like, and particle-decorated morphologies were fabricated to investigate the evolution of the photocatalytic properties. The deposition of the TiO 2 phase on the surface of the Ag NWs was achieved through a solvothermal method. Thioglycolic acid (TGA) not only solves the tricky issue of substantial lattice mismatch between the Ag NW core and TiO 2 shell, but also plays an important role in precisely controlling how the TiO 2 is coated on the Ag NW surface. H 2 O molecules affect the deposition of the TiO 2 phase on the Ag NWs. The photocatalytic activity of the Ag NW@TiO 2 heterostructures with different morphologies was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange. The molar ratio of TiO 2 to Ag is crucial for the photocatalytic activity, and the Ag NW@TiO 2 sample with core–shell structure exhibits an excellent performance compared with the others, owing to the TiO 2 phase being densely attached to the Ag NW surface, which forms a well-developed combined interface.