Convenient and Green Synthesis of Pom-Coated Gold Nanostructures and Photocatalytic Activity under Visible Light

Synthesizing efficient and environment–friendly visible–light photocatalyst with simple methods is becoming attractive in these years in the field of photocatalysis. We report the preparation of Au@SbW₉Co₃ nanostructures, an environment-friendly visible–light catalyst, by coating Au⁰ with Polyoxometalate (POM) in a green and convenient way, the photocatalytic activities of which were investigated under visible light. The prepared Au@POM nanostructures showed the photocatalytic active in visible light region, which indicates a synergistic effect between POM and Au⁰. In addition, the morphology of Au@POM nanostructures, species of POM, the proportion of POM in catalyst and the concentration of Au@POM all affect the photocatalytic effect of catalysts. When the used POM was SbW₉Co₃, the molar ratio of Au³⁺:SbW₉Co₃ was 2:1.0 and the catalyst concentration was 0.15 mM, the highest photocatalytic effect was obtained, and the removal efficiency for EY reached 99% after catalyzing 60 min in visible light.