Solvothermal preparation and visible photocatalytic activity of polycrystalline beta-In2S3 nanotubes

Ultra-thin tetragonal beta-In2S3 nanotubes with the outer diameter of 10-20 nm, wall thickness of ca. 2.0 nm and length more than 1.0 mu m have been successfully synthesized for the first time via a simple solution route. The polycrystalline nanotube is composed of nanocrystals with a size of 2.0 nm. The formation mechanism of the nanotubes was proposed, which went through the hydrolysis of In3+ cations, the decomposition of lauryl mercaptan and then the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of In2S3. The as-obtained beta-In2S3 nanotubes show high photocatalytic performance on the decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) under solar irradiation.