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

In this work, a highly photocatalytic Ag/In 2 S 3 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 In 2 S 3 surface. Photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts were investigated for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light. The Ag/In 2 S 3 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 In 2 S 3 . The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be owing to the SPR of Ag and the Schottky junction formed between Ag and In 2 S 3 . Our PL results indicate the inhibited recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs in In 2 S 3 upon the attachment of Ag nanoparticles. The active species tests demonstrate that the superoxide radical (·O 2− ) and h + are responsible for the efficient degradation of MO over Ag/In 2 S 3 . In addition, it also proposes a potential mechanism for enhancing the photocatalytic activity.