We report the synthesis of titania nanofibers (TNF) of similar to 195 nm mean diameter doped with phosphorus through one-pot electrospinning followed by decoration of Ag nanoparticles (NPs). The Ag NPs of similar to 8 nm size on 2 % P-doped TNFs (Ag-PTNFs) showed excellent photocatalytic activity for the reduction of Cr(VI), under simulated solar light, with similar to 100 % conversion to Cr(III) in 90 min at pH 3 with a pseudo-first order rate constant of 0.085 min(-1) that is 96.5 % higher than TNFs. The Ag-PTNFs also exhibited excellent photodegradation of methylene blue with pseudo-first order rate constant of 0.052 min(-1) which is 82.7 % better than TNFs. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of Ag-PTNFs is attributed to the reduced band-gap, increased charge separation and reduced recombination rates. A proposed photocatalytic mechanism based on the synergistic effect of both Ag and P doping is presented which highlights the potential of these composite materials for water remediation.

• Journal: Chemistryselect
• Volume: 5
• Issue:
• Pages: 14078-14085
• ISSN: 2365-6549
• DOI:
• Year: 2020
• Number: 44
• Type: Journal Article