LAUSR

Abstract The limited optical paths for light absorption and the slow kinetic transfer charge carriers confine the photocatalytic performance of TiO2. The 3D hierarchical N-Ag-TiO2-ZnO composite cooperates the synergistic effects of size effect, topologic structure and composite advantages. The polymerization assisted assembly of such nanostructures including Octahedra, cylinder and nanorod nanoparticles into nanocages were conducted in combine of the virtue of the high driven carriers separation strategy, large surface area and rich active sites as well as cooperative interaction between these catalysts. Such nanocage catalyst showed the best photocatalytic performance and the most robust recyclability, demonstrating 93.4% removal of orange II and after 3 h of visible-light irradiation and 3.4 μmol h−1 H2 and 1.7 μmol h−1 O2 productivity for water splitting. The excellent photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the simultaneous enhancement in light harvesting, surface area, plasmonic coupling and defect engineering which efficiently promote the separation and transfer of exciton, promoting the charge transfer kinetics, increasing the charge separation efficiency, the increased oxygen vacancies bring to more active sites and lead to dramatic improvement of photocatalytic performance. The research provided some new designs on Z-scheme photocatalysts for photodegradation and water splitting.