Facile fabrication and photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgI/rGO films

The composite material, Ag/AgX/graphene (X=Br, Cl, I), is considered a promising photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Its photocatalytic activity is superior to that of the conventional TiO₂ photocatalyst; the enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to its effective charge separation ability and wide visible light absorption. However, the Ag/AgX/graphene composite is often prepared in the powder form, limiting its wide-spread application. In addition, the simple fabrication of Ag/AgX/graphene composite films is highly challenging. In this study, a simple solution-based process based on meniscus-dragging deposition is demonstrated for the fabrication of Ag/AgI/rGO composite films. Uniform catalyst films with reasonable photocatalytic activities can be easily fabricated by using this microliter-scale solution process.