Facile microwave-assisted synthesis of In 2 O 3 nanocubes and their application in photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

Novel In O nanocube photocatalysts were successfully prepared by a facile microwave-assisted synthesis method. The obtained products are nano-sized with square corners and high crystallinity. The In O nanocubes possessed high efficiency of electron-hole separation, resulting in high photocatalytic activities for the degradation of tetracycline under both visible light ( > 420 nm) and full-range light irradiation (360-760 nm), the ratios of which are 39.3% and 61.0%, respectively. Moreover, the calculated positions of the CB and VB under our experimental conditions at the point of zero for In O nanocubes are -0.60 V and +2.17 V, respectively. Note that the redox potentials of [O /·O ] and [·OH/OH ] are -0.33 V and +2.38 V, respectively, which means that the irradiated In O nanocubes can reduce O into ·O without oxidizing OH into ·OH. It can be concluded that ·O and h are the main active species of In O in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation and full-range light irradiation.