Facile synthesis of hierarchical Ag3PO4/TiO2 nanofiber heterostructures with highly enhanced visible light photocatalytic properties

Heterostructured semiconductor nanostructures have provoked great interest in the areas of energy, environment and catalysis. Herein, we report a novel hierarchical Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 heterostructure consisting of nearly spherical Ag 3 PO 4 particles firmly coupled on the surface of TiO 2 nanofibers (NFs). The construction of Ag 3 PO 4 /TiO 2 heterostructure with tailored morphologies, compositions and optical properties was simply achieved via a facile and green synthetic strategy involving the electrospinning and solution-based processes. Owing to the synergetic effects of the components, the resulting hybrid heterostructures exhibited much improved visible light photocatalytic performance, which could degrade the RhB dye completely in 7.5   min. In addition, the coupling of Ag 3 PO 4 particles with UV-light-sensitive TiO 2 NFs enabled full utilization of solar energy and less consumption of noble metals, significantly appealing for their practical use in new energy sources and environmental issues. The developed synthetic strategy was considered to be applicable for the rational design and construction of other heterostructured catalysts.