Facile solvothermal synthesis of a Z-Scheme 0D/3D CeO2/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation

Reasonable designing heterojunction photocatalysts is an effective way to improve the photocatalytic activity of semiconductor. Herein, the efficient binary heterojunction photocatalyst formed between zero-dimensional (0D) CeO2 nanoparticles and three-dimensional (3D) floriated shaped ZnIn2S4 microspheres was synthesized by a simple solvothermal method. A series of analytical methods were used to characterize the optical properties and morphology of CeO2/ZnIn2S4 composite photocatalysts. Photodegradation experimental results showed that CeO2/ZnIn2S4 composites displayed strong photocatalytic activity for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) with heavy concentrations (30 mg/L). The as-obtained optimum 10 wt% CeO2/ZnIn2S4 sample displays high degradation efficiency of 91% within 120 min, which is about 12.9 and 3.03 times higher than that of pure CeO2 and ZnIn2S4, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the formation of Z-scheme heterojunction between CeO2 and ZnIn2S4, which contributes to the increased surface area, enhanced redox ability and high separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers. The degradation pathways and intermediate products of TC over CeO2/ZnIn2S4 composite were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/ MS) measurement. This study provides a new approach to prepare of efficient 0D/3D-based Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts.

Automated summary

Reasonable design of heterojunction photocatalysts is essential to enhance the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors. In this study, an efficient CeO2/ZnIn2S4 composite photocatalyst was synthesized and showed superior degradation efficiency for tetracycline. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the Z-scheme heterojunction formed between CeO2 and ZnIn2S4, leading to increased surface area, enhanced redox ability, and high separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers.