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Enhanced photo-reduction performance of CuInS2 for aqueous Cr(VI) via facile combining with Bi2S3: a direct Z-scheme mechanism

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Abstract

Recombination and redox energy declination of photo-induced carriers in their transfer over photocatalysts cause loss of efficiency in photodegradation of contaminants. Constructing a Z-scheme transfer mechanism of them is considered as a promising approach to boost the photocatalytic activity. Herein, direct Z-scheme CuInS2/Bi2S3 heterojunctions were successfully fabricated by a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The obtained photocatalysts were systematically characterized and used for the photo-reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the optimal composite with a 24 wt% Bi2S3 content exhibited a superior photocatalytic activity, which was 4.12 times greater than that of pristine CuInS2, and subsequent cycling experiments demonstrated its excellent photocatalytic stability. Besides, the direct Z-scheme heterostructure of CuInS2/Bi2S3 was corroborated by trapping experiments and XPS measurement, which effectively facilitated the spatial charge separation and kept the photo-induced electrons with a strong reducing ability in the conduction band of CuInS2, thus resulting in its outstanding photocatalytic performance towards the reduction of Cr(VI). This study provides a feasible strategy to improve the photoreduction performance of CuInS2-based composites for Cr(VI)-containing wastewater treatment.

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The data that support the findings of this work are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Jiangsu University of Technology (KYY16018) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20181043).

Funding

This work was supported by the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Jiangsu University of Technology (Grant No. KYY16018) and Basic Research Program of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20181043).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou, 213001, China

    Xiaofei Fu, Junwu Tao, Yong Gao & Zizhou Zhao

  2. School of Microelectronics and Control Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, China

    Zuming He

  3. School of Materials and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou, 213001, China

    Yongmei Xia

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  1. Xiaofei Fu
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  2. Junwu Tao
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Contributions

XF: Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing-original draft, Writing-review & editing, Data collection, Validation. JT: Formal analysis, Methodology, Validation. ZH: Formal analysis, Conceptualization, Writing-review & editing, Supervision. YG: Resources, Software, Formal analysis. YX: Formal analysis, Writing-review & editing. ZZ: Resources, Formal analysis. All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xiaofei Fu.

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Fu, X., Tao, J., He, Z. et al. Enhanced photo-reduction performance of CuInS2 for aqueous Cr(VI) via facile combining with Bi2S3: a direct Z-scheme mechanism. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 33, 24663–24676 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-09175-9

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