Hierarchically, Low Band Gap Nanohybrid InVO4‑CdS Heterojunction for Visible Light-Driven Toxic Organic Dye Degradations

The synthesis of InVO4-CdS heterojunction photocatalysts has been achieved by a novel two-step approach, including a microwave-assisted technique, followed by a moderate hydrothermal method, marking the first successful instance of such a synthesis. X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, elemental color mapping, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Raman analysis, photoluminescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller were employed to investigate the crystal structures, surface morphologies and particle sizes, chemical compositions, and optical characteristics of the as-synthesized materials. The research results indicated that the heterojunction InVO4-CdS, as synthesized, consisted of InVO4 microrods with an average size of around 15 nm and cadmium sulfide (CdS) microflowers with a diameter of 1.5 μm. Furthermore, all of the heterojunctions had favorable photoabsorption properties throughout the visible-light spectrum. The photocatalytic efficiency of the samples obtained was thoroughly assessed by the degradation of acid violet 7 (AV 7) under visible light irradiation with a wavelength greater than 420 nm. The photocatalytic efficiency for the decomposition of AV 7 was greatly enhanced in the InVO4-CdS (IVCS) heterojunctions when compared to prepared bare InVO4 and CdS. Additionally, it was observed that the composite material consisting of IVCS 3 wt % InVO4 combined with CdS exhibited the most significant enhancement in catalytic effectiveness for the photodegradation of AV 7 dye. Specifically, the catalytic performance of this composite material was found to be around 69.4 and 76.2 times greater than that of pure InVO4 and CdS, respectively. Furthermore, the experimental procedure including active species trapping provided evidence that h+ and •O2 – radicals were the primary active species involved in the photocatalytic reaction process. Additionally, a potential explanation for the improved photocatalytic activity of the InVO4-CdS heterojunction was presented, taking into account the determination of band positions.