Synthesis of N, C Codoped Hierarchical Porous Microsphere ZnS As a Visible Light-Responsive Photocatalyst

A new N, C codoped visible light responsive hierarchical porous ZnS photocatalysts have been successfully synthesized by using a simple procedure in large scale without using catalyst or template. This is a first example of a nonmetal doped sulfide semiconductor photocatalyst working under visible light irradiation. N, C codoped ZnS catalysts were formed by thermal decomposition of zinc isothiocyanate at 300, 400, and 500 degrees C under open atmospheric conditions. The influences of various experimental conditions on the morphology of the catalysts have been investigated. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by the required analytical techniques. The N, C codoped catalysts possess well-crystallized wurtzite structure and have excellent visible light absorption when compared to undoped ZnS. Elemental and XPS analyses confirmed the presence of both nitrogen and carbon elements in ZnS. The chemical natures of nitrogen and carbon have been discussed on the basis of FTIR and XPS results. The visible light induced photocatalytic activity of these catalysts were investigated by using AO7 as a model pollutant and results showed that the synthesized catalysts have excellent photocatalytic activity. A possible growth mechanism of the hierarchical porous photocatalysts was proposed.