Synthesis of the Ag/AgCl/g‐C3N4 Composite with High Photocatalytic Activity under Visible Light Irradiation

Novel Ag/AgCl/g‐C3N4 composite photocatalysts were synthesized through precipitation in geothermal water at room temperature, in which geothermal water was used as the chlorine source. The results suggested that Ag/AgCl nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of g‐C3N4 sheets with high dispersion and that Ag/AgCl/g‐C3N4 composites show strong absorption in the visible light region. The 50 wt % Ag/AgCl/g‐C3N4 composite demonstrated increased photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic dyes under visible light irradiation than did pure g‐C3N4 (one component), Ag/AgCl (two component), and the mixture of Ag/AgCl and g‐C3N4. The trapping experiments confirmed that holes and ⋅O2− were the main active species responsible for the photocatalytic process. Finally, a possible photocatalytic mechanism of the charge transfer in Ag/AgCl/g‐C3N4 composites was proposed. This work could provide new insights into the application of cheap geothermal water resources and extend the design of new plasmon‐based photocatalysts.