Controlled synthesis and characterizations of thermo-stabilized Ag3PO4 crystals

Thermal stability of Ag₃PO₄ crystals was explored, and the calcination treatment was used to diminish the growth defect inside the Ag₃PO₄ crystals and improve their photoelectric properties. The results of in situ XRD and TG-DSC patterns indicated that Ag₃PO₄ crystals could maintain the integrality of their crystal structure under 400 °C. Photocatalytic efficiency and life of Ag₃PO₄-30-400 was improved by 138 and 800 %, respectively, compared with the pure Ag₃PO₄ crystals. The XPS patterns of P and O elements showed that hydroxyl groups in Ag₃PO₄ increased after the thermal treatment, from which it could be concluded that the hydroxyl groups filled up the Ag–O bonds after absorbing the energy in the heating process to re-optimize the lattice structure and were converted into hydroxyl radicals in the photocatalytic process, which generated a higher photocatalytic efficiency and chemical stability.