Visible photocatalytic properties of Ag–Ag2O/ITO NWs fabricated by mechanical injection-discharge-oxidation method

In the present study, anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) plates with a pore size of 40 nm were used as templates to fabricate indium-tin (In9Sn1) alloy nanowires (NWs) by vacuum mechanical injection method, and then Ag nanoparticles were coated onto the surface of the In9Sn1 NWs by means of the “in-situ discharge reduction” method. Finally, the composites were exposed in air for heat treatment to synthesize Ag–Ag2O/indium-tin oxide (ITO) NWs. The morphology, composition, and structure of the obtained samples were identified using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results show that the length of the In9Sn1 NWs is 69.6 μm and Ag nanoparticles with 5–10 nm are uniformly coated on the surface of the In9Sn1 NWs, after calcination in air, Ag/In9Sn1 NWs are oxidized to Ag–Ag2O/ITO NWs. Additionally, the photocatalytic property of Ag–Ag2O/ITO NWs is tested, and it reveals the good photocatalytic activity thereof for the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation.