Photocatalytic degradation of organic dye and tetracycline by ternary Ag₂O/AgBr–CeO₂ photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation

In this work, CeO₂ nanosheets decorated with Ag₂O and AgBr are successfully fabricated via a simple sediment-precipitation method. The as-prepared ternary Ag₂O/AgBr–CeO₂ composite with double Z-scheme construction was analyzed by various analytical techniques. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) used as the electron medium could reduce the recombination of photoelectrons and holes, thus leading to the improvement of photocatalytic performance of these catalysts. Due to the unique structure and composite advantages, the optimal Ag₂O/AgBr–CeO₂ photocatalysts exhibit the superior tetracycline (TC) degradation efficiency of 93.23% and favorable stability with near-initial capacity under visible light irradiation. This ternary Z-scheme structure materials will be the well-promising photocatalysts or the purification of antibiotic wastewater.