Fabrication of AgBr/boron-doped reduced graphene oxide aerogels for photocatalytic removal of Cr(VI) in water

AgBr nanoparticles on boron-doped reduced graphene oxide aerogels (AgBr/B-RGO) are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method, which shows a superior performance in the photoreduction of toxic hexavalent chromium (CrVI) in aqueous media under visible light irradiation. The composition and structure of the samples have been characterized by using XPS, Raman, XRD, TEM and SEM measurements. As compared with that of AgBr on none-doped reduced graphene oxide aerogels (AgBr/RGO), the improved photocatalytic properties, can be attributed to the introduction of boron atoms in reduced graphene oxide (RGO), bringing in the improvement of electron transfer efficiency, and the depression of the recombination of photo-excited electrons and holes. Further tests in the photoreduction of CrVI reveal that the obtained AgBr/B-RGO presents excellent cycling performance with an interesting increase in the photocatalytic efficiency upon cycling number. This observation can be explained by the fact that the gradual emergence of Ag0 formed from the photo-induced decomposition of AgBr, introduces a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) effect to the system. The approach herein reported could be extended to the design and fabrication of other photocatalysts with high performance that combine the boron-doped graphene and SPR effect.