Enhanced sunlight driven photocatalytic activity of In(2)S(3) nanosheets functionalized MoS(2) nanoflowers heterostructures

Visible light-sensitive 2D-layered based photocatalytic systems have been proven one of the effective recent trends. We report the preparation of a 2D-layered based In(2)S(3)–MoS(2) nanohybrid system through a facile hydrothermal method, capable of efficiently degrading of organic contaminants with remarkable efficiency. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results inferred the attachment of 2D-layered In(2)S(3) sheets with the MoS(2) nanoflakes. Field emission SEM studies with chemical mapping confirm the uniform distribution of Mo, In, and S atoms in the heterostructure, affirming sample uniformity. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy results confirm the appearance of 2H-MoS(2) and β-In(2)S(3) in the grown heterostructures. UV-DRS results reveal a significant improvement in the optical absorbance and significant bandgap narrowing (0.43 eV) in In(2)S(3)–MoS(2) nanohybrid compared to pristine In(2)S(3) nanosheets in the visible region. The effective bandgap narrowing facilitates the charge transfer between MoS(2) and In(2)S(3) and remarkably improves the synergistic effect. Effective bandgap engineering and improved optical absorption of In(2)S(3)–MoS(2) nanohybrids are favorable for enhancing their charge separation and photocatalytic ability. The photocatalytic decomposition efficiency of the pristine In(2)S(3) nanosheets and In(2)S(3)–MoS(2) nanohybrids sample is determined by the decomposing of methylene blue and oxytetracycline molecules under natural sunlight. The optimized In(2)S(3)–MoS(2) nanohybrids can decompose 97.67% of MB and 76.3% of OTC-HCl molecules solution in 8 min and 40 min of exposure of sunlight respectively. 2D-layered In(2)S(3)-MoS(2) nanohybrids reveal the tremendous remediation performance towards chemical contaminations and pharmaceutical waste, which indicates their applicability in industrial and practical applications.