Synthesis of Three-Dimensional β-In₂S₃ Nanoflowers with a Tunable Surface Area for Boosted Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline and Rhodamine B

Three-dimensional (3D) β-In₂S₃ nanoflowers with a tunable surface area were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. Their growth mechanism, observed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealed the formation of In₂S₃ flowers by the assembly of 2D In₂S₃ nanosheets. This unique 3D structure enhances optical absorption and tailors the band gap, as evidenced by UV-vis DRS and photoluminescence (PL) analyses. XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirm the β-phase of the synthesized In₂S₃ nanoflowers. The tunable surface area of the samples was confirmed by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. As a result, the prepared material exhibits an enhanced degradation efficiency to tetracycline (TC) and Rhodamine B (RhB), reaching up to 85.4 and 99.4% after 240 and 60 min under irradiation by low-power household LED (60 W), respectively, which has not been reported yet. Radical trapping experiments indicated that O₂^•- was the primary reactive species responsible for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB and TC molecules in the β-In₂S₃ system. The excellent photocatalytic properties and high structural stability of β-In₂S₃ make it a promising material for degrading antibiotics and persistent textile pollutants.