Ultrasound-Assisted Photo-Reduction Synthesis of Ag/Bi2WO6 Microspheres for Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

Ag/Bi 2 WO 6 microspheres were successfully prepared by ultrasound-assisted photo-reduction route to realize the Ag-loading on Bi 2 WO 6 crystal, which was previously synthesized by using solvothermal process with [C 4 -mim]BF 4 ionic liquid. The synergistic process of photo-reduction and ultrasonic irradiation induced the efficient conversion of Ag + ion into metallic Ag nanoparticles with uniform distribution. The enhanced amount of Ag nanoparticles and the strong combination of Ag nanoparticles with Bi 2 WO 6 microspheres, efficiently promoted the light harvesting and inhibited the recombination of photo-induced charges. As a result, Ag/Bi 2 WO 6 microspheres via ultrasound-assisted photo-reduction route achieved the higher visible-light photocatalytic activity for H 2 evolution than those catalysts prepared by other methods. This work may provide an efficient way for designing photocatalysts for hydrogen generation using solar light. Graphical Photocatalysis : The synergistic process of photo-reduction and ultrasound irradiation was utilized to achieve the uniform Ag-loading on Bi 2 WO 6 microspheres. The enhanced amount of Ag nanoparticles and their strong combination with Bi 2 WO 6 crystals was beneficial for improving visible-light absorption, and inhibiting recombination of photo-generated charges. It resulted in the promoted activity for visible-light photocatalytic H 2 evolution.