Synthesis of Three-Dimensional β-In<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub> Nanoflowers with a Tunable Surface Area for Boosted Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline and Rhodamine B
Thị Thơm Nguyễn, Jaspal Singh, Van Anh Nguyen, Thi Linh Giang Hoang, Phuong Nguyen‐Tri
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) β-In 2 S 3 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 In 2 S 3 flowers by the assembly of 2D In 2 S 3 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 In 2 S 3 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 O 2 •– was the primary reactive species responsible for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB and TC molecules in the β-In 2 S 3 system. The excellent photocatalytic properties and high structural stability of β-In 2 S 3 make it a promising material for degrading antibiotics and persistent textile pollutants.