Fabrication and visible-light photocatalytic activity of Si-α-Fe2O3/In2S3 composites

The synthesis of visible-light-driven photocatalysts with a high activity using simple and efficient techniques remains an existing challenge. The highly active Si-alpha-Fe2O3 nanosheets were obtained by adding SiO32-. And the Si-alpha-Fe2O3/In2S3 composites were prepared by hydrothermal method and employed effectively as visible-light-driven photocatalysts for the 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) degradation. Compared with the single component, the Si-alpha-Fe2O3/In2S3 composites increased the specific surface area and OVs concentration and improved the photocatalytic degradation activity of 4-NP. The combination of OV defects, heterojunction, and photo-Fenton, promoted the separation of photocarriers and the production of oxygen species (center dot OH, center dot O-2(-) and h(+)), which significantly improved the visible-light photocatalytic performance. This work provides a new idea to improve the degradation performance of organic pollutants under visible-light irradiation.

Automated summary

This study successfully synthesized visible-light-driven photocatalysts with high activity using efficient techniques, and employed Si-alpha-Fe2O3/In2S3 composites for the degradation of 4-NP. The combination of structural advantages and chemical reactions significantly improved the photocatalytic degradation performance.