Interfacial coupling effects in g-C₃N₄/In_xSb_2−xS₃ heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

Abstract

A series of In_xSb_2−xS₃ nanosheets modified g-C₃N₄ (In_xSb_2−xS₃-TCN) heterojunctions with different g-C₃N₄ contents were fabricated by an in situ deposition method. All the In_xSb_2−xS₃-TCN composites were applied as photocatalysts in Cr(VI) polluted water treatment and the results displayed that In_xSb_2−xS₃-TCN could effectively remove Cr(VI) under visible light through synergistic effects of adsorption and photocatalytic reduction. Especially, In_xSb_2−xS₃-TCN-70 (70 mg g-C₃N₄) exhibited the most excellent adsorption and photocatalytic reduction performance among all composites, which possessed a high equilibrium adsorption capacity of 12.45 mg/g in a 30.0 mg/L Cr(VI) aqueous solution, and reduced Cr(VI) to Cr(III) within 10 min under visible light irradiation. DRS and PL results indicated that the interfacial coupling effect between g-C₃N₄ and In_xSb_2−xS₃ enhanced the utilization efficiency of visible light and suppressed photoinduced carrier recombination, which improved the photocatalytic activity of composites. Moreover, the photocatalyst exhibited satisfactory reduction activity and good stability after 5 cycles of Cr(VI) adsorption-photoreduction.

Keywords

In_xSb_2−xS₃-TCN / photocatalyst / interfacial coupling effects / Cr(VI)-contained wastewater / adsorption / photocatalytic reduction

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