Architecting a Double Charge-Transfer Dynamics In₂S₃/BiVO₄ n–n Isotype Heterojunction for Superior Photocatalytic Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride Degradation and Water Oxidation Reaction: Unveiling the Association of Physicochemical, Electrochemical, and Photocatalytic Properties

Abstract

To surmount incompatibility provoked efficiency suppression of an anisotype heterojunction and to pursue an improved intrinsic photocatalytic activity by manipulating oriented transfer of photoinduced charge carriers, an In 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 (1:1) n−n isotype heterojunction was fabricated successfully through a simple twostep calcination method, followed by a wet-chemical deposition method. The formation of an n−n isotype heterojunction was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV− visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic efficiency of the In 2 S 3 / BiVO 4 catalyst was examined over degradation of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (O-TCH) and oxygen (O 2 ) evolution reaction. Consequently, an n−n In 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 isotype heterojunction exhibits a superior O-TCH degradation efficiency (94.6%, 120 min) and O 2 evolution (695.76 μmol, 120 min) of multiple folds as compared to the pure BiVO 4 and In 2 S 3 solely. This is attributed to the proper band alignment and intimate interfacial interaction promoted charge carrier separation over the n−n isotype heterojunction. The intimate interfacial contact was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, and field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis. The proper band alignment was confirmed by Mott−Schottky analysis. The photoelectrochemical linear sweep voltammetric study shows a superior photocurrent density (269 μA/cm 2 ) for In 2 S 3 / BiVO 4 as compared to those for pristine BiVO 4 and In 2 S 3 , which is in good agreement with the photocatalytic results. Furthermore, the superior charge antirecombination efficiency of the n−n isotype heterojunction was established by photoluminescence, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Bode analysis, transient photocurrent, and carrier density analysis. The improved photostability of the heterojunction was confirmed by chronoamperometry analysis. An orderly corelationship among physicochemical, electrochemical, and photocatalytic properties was established, and a possible mechanistic pathway was presented to better understand the outcome of the n−n isotype heterojunction. This study presents an effective way to develop new n−n isotype heterojunction-based efficient photocatalysts and could enrich wide applications in other areas.

Enhanced sunlight driven photocatalytic activity of In2S3 nanosheets functionalized MoS2 nanoflowers heterostructures

“…Several parameters such as modulation in morphology, a surface area strongly influenced the photocatalytic activity of the In 2 S 3 nanostructures by efficient charge separation, the improved lifetime of charge carriers, and high rate of mass transfer 23 , 24 . Apart from this, various efforts, such as phase optimization 25 , 26 , heterostructures creation 27 , 28 , and noble metal nanoparticle functionalization 29 , 30 , have been devoted to improving the photodegradation capability of In 2 S 3 nanostructures. 2D-TMDCs based heterostructures-based photocatalyst is one of the advanced and effective strategies to control the recombination rate and improve the photodegradation ability through synergistic effect between two layered nanostructures 31 .…”

Rodlike Cadmium-Incorporated Zinc Tungstate Nanoarchitecture Fabricated by a Facile and Template-Free Strategy as a Photocatalyst for the Effective Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Sewage

“…Environmental pollution, especially industrial wastewater, has drawn public attention because of the growing threat to human safety. 1 Now, how to solve the energy conversion and environmental pollution problem has become more and more urgent. 2 Photocatalytic technology has been employed to environmental pollution control and efficient energy conversion (light energy to chemical energy, especially industrial wastewater treatment), which is considered to be sustainability and environmentally friendly.…”

β-In2S3 as Water Splitting Photoanodes: Promise and Challenges

“…In 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 n-n-isotype heterojunction was prepared by two-step calcination process and wet chemical deposition and its PEC properties was tested in sodium sulfate (Na 2 SO 4 ) solution under visible light illumination [36]. The photoactivity and photostability of the heterojunction was enhanced compared to the pristine components owing to the superior intimate interfacial contact and formation of heterojunction of two materials with appropriate band positions that can separate photoexcitons effectually.…”

“…As a typical n-type III-VI group chalcogenide semiconductor, In 2 S 3 with narrow band gap of 2.0-2.3 eV has attracted great interest for various applications recently [35]. Owing to its high photoelectric sensitivity, high photoconductivity, large photoelectric conversion yield, low toxicity, and high absorption coefficient [36][37][38], In 2 S 3 shows superior properties in optical-absorption applications such as photoanodes [35,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45], photocatalysts [36,[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53], solar cells [54], photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) reduction [55,56], electrochemical storage cells [57], and photodetectors [37,58,59].…”