Plastic optical fibres applied on the photocatalytic degradation of phenol with Ag2MoO4 and ß-Ag2MoO4/Ag3PO4 under visible light.

In this study, plastic optical fibre (POF) was considered as a light-transmitting medium and substrate for use in a photocatalytic environmental purification system, using Ag2MoO4 and ß-Ag2MoO4/Ag3PO4 as photocatalysts. Pure Ag2MoO4 and a ß-Ag2MoO4/Ag3PO4 composite were synthesized using a facile precipitation method. The composition, structures and optical properties of as-prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV/Vis DRS), BET surface area and TGA/DTG. The catalysts were immobilized on POF and on the glass reactor surface and their efficiency in the phenol degradation was evaluated in a batch reactor under visible light. The use of POF offers advantages such as ease of handling and good adherence characteristics to support Ag2MoO4. The photoactivity follows the order ß-Ag2MoO4/Ag3PO4 ≅ Ag2MoO4 > TiO2 P25, for photocatalysts immobilized on the glass reactor surface or in aqueous suspension. The immobilization of Ag2MoO4 on POF revealed that thinner Ag2MoO4 coatings achieved faster pollutant removal rates from solution, and the optimal catalyst deposition is 0.64 mg/cm2, causing maximum the light penetration and electron-hole generation close to the solid-liquid interface.