TiO2 Nanobelts Decorated with In2S3 Nanoparticles as Photocatalysts with Enhanced Full-Solar-Spectrum (UV-vis-NIR) Photocatalytic Activity toward the Degradation of Tetracycline

Herein, ultradispersed In2S3 nanoparticle (NP)/TiO2 nanobelt (NB) hetero-structures with an intimate interfacial coupling effect are synthesized from the consideration of combining the visible/near-infrared photoabsorption property of In2S3 with the excellent UV photocatalytic property of TiO2. In this process, the 1D TiO2 NBs not only perform as the support to form the hetero-structure, but are also employed as a dispersant to confine the aggregation of In2S3 NPs. As expected, the obtained In2S3 NP/TiO2 NB hetero-structure gives rise to a prominently strong optical absorption in the full solar region of 300-1800 nm, and thus displays a desired photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline in full utilization of all solar energy, compared with that of pristine In2S3 and TiO2. Besides, the In2S3 NP/TiO2 NB heterostructure photocatalysts have no selectivity and can effectively degrade other different kinds of organic pollutants, including cationic dyes (methyl blue and rhodamine B) and colorless chemical pollutants (phenol and salicylic acid). The exceptional photocatalytic enhancement is due to the synergistic interactions of hetero-junction with the strong interfacial coupling effect, the In2S3 extended light absorption, efficient photogenerated e(-)/h(+) pair separation, and fully exposed reactive sites induced by uniform packing of the ultrasmall In2S3.