Effect of In(OH)3 species modified ZnS on improved photocatalytic activity of photoreduction of CO2

A series of the In(OH)(3) species modified ZnS (ZnS-In(OH)(3)X% (X = 2, 5, 7, 10)) photocatalysts were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. ZnS-In(OH)(3)X% (X = 2, 5, 7, 10) exhibited the improvement of photocatalytic activity for the photoreduction of CO2 into CO compared with ZnS. Characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transforms infrared spectra (FT-IR), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) valence band spectra, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL decay curves, the crystal structure, band structure and behaviors of photogenerated charge carriers for photocatalyst were explored up. It was revealed that the modification of In(OH)(3) surface species on surface of ZnS can prolong the fluorescence lifetimes of photogenerated charge carriers, enhance the separate of photoinduced charge carriers efficiently and promote better matching between the band structure and the redox potential of the CO2/CO, resulting in improvement of photocatalytic activity efficiently for ZnS-In(OH)(3)X% (X = 2, 5, 7, 10) photocatalysts. This work may offer a new understanding to study the effect of surface species modification on photocatalytic performance of photocatalyst.

Automated summary

Modification of In(OH)(3) surface species on ZnS can enhance the photocatalytic activity, prolong the lifetime of photogenerated charge carriers, and promote better matching between band structure and the redox potential of CO2/CO. This work provides new insights into the effect of surface species modification on photocatalytic performance.