Attachment of Ag/AgCl nanoparticles on CdMoO4 microspheres for effective degradation of doxycycline under visible light irradiation: Degradation pathways and mineralization activity

Cadmium molybdate (CdMoO4) exhibits good catalytic performance under UV irradiation, but its poor light absorption activity and high photo-generated charge recombination rate restrain its application in visible light region. To solve this issue, in this study, three–dimensional CdMoO4 microspheres with diameter of 2–3 μm was prepared by a hydrothermal process and Ag/AgCl nanoparticles was then decorated on the surface of the CdMoO4 to prepare Ag/AgCl-CdMoO4 hybrids via an in situ coprecipitation method and combined with the photoreduction process. The Ag/AgCl-CdMoO4 heterojunction had a strong catalytic activity towards the degradation of doxycycline (DC) under visible light. DC can be effectively mineralized. 46.65% mineralization rates can be achieved in presence of ACM-5 within 60 min. A possible degradation pathway of DC is also suggested via LC-MS analysis. The enhanced photocatalytic ability was attributed to broaden the light absorption region due to the SPR effects of Ag and promote the carrier separation due to the formation of heterojunctions in Ag/AgCl-CdMoO4 hybrids. This work not only enriched the application of CdMoO4 in visible light photocatalytic field, but also provided a reference for the further development of visible light driven CdMoO4 based photocatalyst.