Construction of In2S3/Ag-Ag2S-AgInS2/TNR Nanoarrays with Excellent Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Properties

Abstract

In this work, a novel and efficient In2S3/Ag-Ag2S-AgInS2/TNR photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal and wet chemical method. The In2S3/Ag-Ag2S-AgInS2/TNR has a greatly increased range of light absorption with sustained absorption intensity compared to the unmodified TNR arrays. In the photoelectrochemical test, the best transient photocurrent of the sample can reach 350 μA cm−2, which is 23.3 times higher than TNR (15 μA cm−2). In the photocatalytic degradation test of MO, In2S3/Ag-Ag2S-AgInS2/TNR exhibited the highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency which could reach 91.7%, 5.5 times higher than that of TNR (16.7%), much higher than many previously reported photocatalysts. The outstanding photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties of the samples is primarily owing to the formation of the core–shell structure and the synergistic effect of the composite material, which effectively facilitate the separation and migration of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and inhibit their recombination, thus enhancing the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance.