Hybrid multi-functional nanomaterials comprising two or more disparate materials have become a powerful approach to obtain advanced materials for environmental remediation applications. In this work, an Ag-Ag
2O/TiO
2@polypyrrole (Ag/TiO
2@PPy) heterojunction has been synthesized by assembling a self-stabilized Ag-Ag
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Hybrid multi-functional nanomaterials comprising two or more disparate materials have become a powerful approach to obtain advanced materials for environmental remediation applications. In this work, an Ag-Ag
2O/TiO
2@polypyrrole (Ag/TiO
2@PPy) heterojunction has been synthesized by assembling a self-stabilized Ag-Ag
2O (
p type) semiconductor (denoted as Ag) and polypyrrole (
π-conjugated polymer) on the surface of rutile TiO
2 (
n type). Ag/TiO
2@PPy was synthesized through simultaneous oxidation of pyrrole monomers and reduction of AgNO
3 in an aqueous solution containing well-dispersed TiO
2 particles. Thus synthesized Ag/TiO
2@PPy was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DSR). The photocatalytic activity of synthesized heterojunction was investigated for the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV and visible light irradiation. The results revealed that π-conjugated
p-
n heterojunction formed in the case of Ag/TiO
2@PPy significantly enhanced the photodecomposition of MB compared to the
p-
n type Ag/TiO
2 and TiO
2@PPy (
n-
π) heterojunctions. A synergistic effect between Ag-Ag
2O and PPy leads to higher photostability and a better electron/hole separation leads to an enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/TiO
2@PPy under both UV and visible light irradiations.
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