Visible photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical activities of TiO2 nanobelts modified by In2O3 nanoparticles

[Display omitted] Novel In2O3 nanoparticle/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructures with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance were successfully prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. Well-dispersed In2O3 nanoparticles with small sizes are uniformly attached on the surface of TiO2 nanobelts to form In2O3 nanoparticle/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructures. The TiO2 nanobelts as backbones restrict the aggregation of In2O3 nanoparticles, resulting in the formation of smaller In2O3 nanoparticles with more interaction sites for pollutants. The visible photocatalytic activity of as-prepared heterostructures for degradation of methyl blue (MB) is higher than those of TiO2 nanobelts and In2O3 nanoparticles alone. Moreover, the In2O3 nanoparticle/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructure shows an enhanced PEC performance under irradiation of visible light. The enhanced photocatalytic and PEC activities are mainly ascribed to the synergic effect of efficient charge separation of heterostructure, visible-light harvesting ability of In2O3, and the formation of preferential adsorption sites by the small size of In2O3 nanoparticles. Finally, based on the experimental results of Mott-Schottky, UV–vis DRS, photocurrent and open-circuit voltage response, a possible photocatalytic mechanism over the In2O3 nanoparticle/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructure is proposed.