Synthesis and Analysis of In2CdO4/Y2SmSbO7 Nanocomposite for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B within Dye Wastewater under Visible Light Irradiation

A new photocatalyst In2CdO4was prepared by a solid phase sintering synthesis method at high temperature for the first time in this paper. The In2CdO4/Y2SmSbO7heterojunction (IYH) catalyst was prepared by the solvent thermal method for the first time. The Y2SmSbO7compound crystallized in the pyrochlore-type architecture and cubelike crystal system, and the space group of Y2SmSbO7wasFd3mand the crystal cell parameters of Y2SmSbO7was 9.51349 Å. The band gap width of Y2SmSbO7was 2.63 eV. In2CdO4crystallized with a body centered tetragonal lattice structure which was a tetragonal crystal system with a space group ofI41/amd. The band gap width of In2CdO4was 2.70 eV. After 110 minutes of visible light irradiation (VLGI-110min) with IYH as the photocatalyst, the removal rate (RR) of rhodamine B (RhB) concentration was 100% and the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration RR was 99.71%. The power mechanics invariable k toward RhB consistency and visible light irradiation (VLGI) time with IYH as the photocatalyzer reached 0.03073 min−1. The power mechanics invariable k which was involved with TOC reached 0.03621 min−1. After VLGI-110min, the RR of RhB with IYH as the photocatalyzer was 1.094, 1.174 or 1.740 times higher than that with In2CdO4, Y2SmSbO7or N-doping TiO2(N-TO) as the photocatalyzer, respectively. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of IYH was the highest compared with In2CdO4, Y2SmSbO7, or N-TO. With appending a trapping agent, the oxidative capability for degrading RhB, which ranged from strong to weak among three oxidative radical groups, was as follows: hydroxyl radicals > superoxide anion > holes. This work provided a scientific basis for the research which resulted in prosperous development of efficient heterojunction compound catalysts.Keywords:Y2SmSbO7;In2CdO4/Y2SmSbO7heterojunction photocatalyst;rhodamine B;dye wastewater;visible light irradiation;photocatalytic activity