Amorphous Titanium\nDioxide-Based Heterojunction with\nLocally Enhanced Electron Transport Multipathways for High-Efficient\nPhotodegradation of Tetracycline

A novel amorphous titanium dioxide (AT)-based heterojunction,\ncomposed\nof AT, silver bromide, and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), was synthesized\nand designated as AgBr/Ag/AT-4%. The band structure and active species\nof AgBr/Ag/AT-4% composites were investigated, and the existence of\nmultiple electron transport pathways in the composites was determined.\nThe Channel I is an all-solid-state Z-scheme heterostructure formed\nbetween AT and AgBr by Ag acting as an electron transport bridge,\nand Channel II is excited by the localized surface plasmon resonance\neffect induced by the Ag NPs on the photocatalyst surface. The Channel\nIII is an electronically bridged medium with Ti<sup>3+</sup>/Ti<sup>4+</sup> redox coupling pairs and oxygen vacancy-mediated trap states\nconstructed from defective structures. The activity of the sample\nwas assessed by the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. It\nis hoped that this work will provide a new idea for the preparation\nof an amorphous titanium dioxide-based heterojunction with locally\nenhanced electron transport multiple pathways.