title: Facile ion-exchange synthesis of mesoporous Bi2S3/ZnS nanoplate with high adsorption capability and photocatalytic activity.
abstract: Novel Bi2S3/ZnS nanoplates have been successfully prepared by simple reflux and cation exchange reaction between the preformed ZnS spheres and Bi(NO3)3·5H2O. The synthesized Bi2S3/ZnS nanoplates are mesoporous structures, possess a high specific surface area of 101.30m(2)/g and exhibit high adsorption capability and photocatalytic activity for methylene blue (MB) degradation under UV light irradiation. The high adsorption capability and photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the fact that the formation of Bi2S3/ZnS nanoplates with large specific surface area provides more reactive sites and facilitates the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The possible formation mechanism of Bi2S3/ZnS nanoplates is proposed based on the time-dependent observation. Moreover, a tentative mechanism for degradation of MB over Bi2S3/ZnS has been proposed involving OH radical and photoinduced holes as the active species, which is confirmed by using methanol or ammonium oxalate as scavengers. This work provides a cost-effective method for large-scale synthesis of composite with controlled architectural morphology and highly promising applications in photocatalysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Dan-Ni
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China. Electronic address: gfhuang@hnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Gui-Fang
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Bing-Xin
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
authors.forename: An-Lian
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China. Electronic address: wqhuang@hnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wei-Qing
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: Bi(2)S(3)/ZnS; Mesoporous; Nanoplates; Photocatalytic activity