Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of Ag/In2S3 photocatalysts induced by Schottky contact and SPR of Ag

In this work, a highly photocatalytic Ag/In2S3 was synthesized via the hydrothermal and photoreduction method. The as-prepared photocatalysts were confirmed by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, and XPS showing that Ag nanoparticles were decorated on the In2S3 surface. Photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts were investigated for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light. The Ag/In2S3 composites showed the enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of 97% under visible light irradiation for 90 min, which was about 3.0 times higher than that of pure In2S3. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be owing to the SPR of Ag and the Schottky junction formed between Ag and In2S3. Our PL results indicate the inhibited recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs in In2S3 upon the attachment of Ag nanoparticles. The active species tests demonstrate that the superoxide radical (·O2−) and h+ are responsible for the efficient degradation of MO over Ag/In2S3. In addition, it also proposes a potential mechanism for enhancing the photocatalytic activity.