Engineering of hierarchical In2O3/ZnIn2S4 heterostructures for high-efficiency photocatalytic performance

Constructing one-dimensional (1D) heterojunctions is an effective strategy for enhancing charge separation and achieving high-efficiency photocatalytic activity . Herein, ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets are grown on 1D mesoporous In 2 O 3 nanorods to obtain hierarchical In 2 O 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 heterostructures towards H 2 production, CO 2 reduction and organic pollutants degradation under visible light . The In 2 O 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 heterostructured photocatalysts exhibit outstanding photocatalytic activity and high stability. The H 2 evolution activity and CO production rate of In 2 O 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 heterostructures reach up to 1285.9 μmol g −1 h −1 and 19.4 μmol g −1 h −1 , which are 6.3 and 7.2-times higher than pristine In 2 O 3 (204.8 μmol g −1 h −1 and 2.7 μmol g −1 h −1 ) and 4.9 folds and 5.9 folds higher than pristine ZnIn 2 S 4 (263.6 μmol g −1 h −1 and 3.3 μmol g −1 h −1 ). The enhanced photocatalytic activities of In 2 O 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 could be attributed to several aspects. Firstly, the formation of 1D heterojunctions results in increased light absorption , as well as effective charge separation and transport. Secondly, the hierarchical heterostructure facilitates the spatial separation of reduction/oxidation reaction sites. Last but not the least, the large surface area of In₂O₃/ZnIn₂S₄ heterostructures provides abundant reactive sites for the photocatalytic reaction. This work offers novel insights into the fundamental mechanism as well as the advanced design of hierarchical heterostructures within the domain of photocatalysis . • Mesoporous In 2 O 3 nanorods/ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets hierarchical heterojunctions have been constructed. • In 2 O 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 heterojunctions with improved light absorption and charge separation efficiency has been demonstrated. • The In 2 O 3 /ZnIn 2 S 4 heterojunctions show remarkably enhanced photocatalytic performance upon visible light.