In situ preparation of Ag@AgCl/Bio-veins composites and their photocatalytic activity and recyclability

The industrial application of nano-photocatalysts in wastewater treatment has been severely restricted for a long time due to their difficult separation, poor reusability, and low efficiency. In this work, a facile strategy was proposed to enhance the photocatalytic activity and recovery performance of Ag@AgCl nanocatalysts. Biological veins (Bio-veins) with a unique 3D porous construction were used as carriers for the in-situ growth of Ag@AgCl nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy results showed that the Ag@AgCl nanoparticles were uniformly loaded on the surface and interior of the Bio-veins, and the size of the Ag@AgCl nanoparticles immobilized on the Bio-veins (50–300 nm) was significantly smaller than Ag@AgCl obtained by the co-precipitation method (1–3 µm). The Bio-veins played a vital role in the photocatalysis reaction system. The degradation efficiency of the Ag@AgCl/Bio-veins(CI4) was up to 3.50 times as high as pure Ag@AgCl. Furthermore, the composites also exhibited excellent recyclability and stability under both visible and solar light. This work provided a suitable strategy for nanophotocatalysts for practical application and may also offer new possibilities for the high-value utilization of biomass materials.