Photocatalytic ZnIn2S4 for 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole Degradation: Facile Synthesis, Influencing Factors and Mechanism

Abstract

The development of an efficient, stable and environmentally friendly semiconductor photocatalyst is great research significance in the field of environment and energy. In this paper, ZnIn2S4 semiconductor photocatalysts with flower-like hierarchies were prepared by simple and environmentally friendly method. The influence of ZnIn2S4 dosage, pH and different inorganic salt ions on the photocatalytic degradation of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) under visible light was investigated in detail. The results showed that the photocatalyst dosage was 0.05 g, and the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MBT was the highest in the weakly acidic environment with pH was five. Meanwhile, the addition of some inorganic anions has a significant inhibitory effect on the photocatalytic activity of ZnIn2S4 semiconductor photocatalyst, while cations have less effect. Moreover, the ZnIn2S4 semiconductor photocatalyst had excellent stability and recyclability, and its photodegradation mechanism had been deeply studied. This work provides a theoretical and experimental foundation for exploring the different influencing factors of photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater by other semiconductors.