Ag3PO4 Deposited on CuBi2O4 to Construct Z-Scheme Photocatalyst with Excellent Visible-Light Catalytic Performance Toward the Degradation of Diclofenac Sodium.

CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 was synthesized through a combination of hydrothermal synthesis and an in situ deposition method with sodium stearate as additives, and their textures were characterized with XRD, XPS, SEM/HRTEM, EDS, UV-Vis, and PL. Then, the photodegradation performance of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 toward the degradation of diclofenac sodium (DS) was investigated, and the results indicate that the degradation rate of DS in a CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 (1:1) system is 0.0143 min-1, which is 3.6 times that in the blank irradiation system. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 was discussed, which follows the Z-Scheme theory, and the performance enhancement of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 was attributed to the improved separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs.