Surfactant-free synthesis of AgGO and subsequent catalytic performance of AgGO and WO_3-x/AgrGO composites

Suppressing charge recombination in semiconductors via triggering interfacial polarization and synergism provides an effective way to redeem multifunctionality and achieve environmental sustainability. Herein, we anchor a single-step facile synthesis of AgGO, providing bandgap control through varying oxidation time and subsequent simultaneous incorporation of Ag and rGO via the in situ hydrothermal method in WO_3-x. The resulting WO_3-x/AgrGO composite demonstrated a broadening of optical absorption and excellent suppression of carrier recombination, thereby improving the catalytic properties. The synergism and excellent conductivity of AgrGO enhance the interfacial polarization to store the carriers for longer times and help carriers carry most of their energy to the catalyst's surface. When WO_3-x/AgrGO was tested against RhB under visible light irradiation, its degradation constant reached 0.034/min, 7.4 times faster than pure WO_3-x. It has left no viable bacteria during the photoinactivation of gram-negative E. coli bacteria, and even its inactivation rate is 1.07 times faster than AgGO. So, this study provides a direct method of metal-GO composite synthesis and subsequent introduction into WO_3-x to broaden the versatility of environmental semiconductors.