One-step in situ hydrothermal fabrication of octahedral CdS/SnIn4S8 nano-heterojunction for highly efficient photocatalytic treatment of nitrophenol and real pharmaceutical wastewater

Octahedral CdS/SnIn 4 S 8 nano-heterojunctions were fabricated by a facile and simple one-step in situ hydrothermal method, and the molar ratio of CdS to SnIn 4 S 8 was optimized. The optimal (0.5:1)CdS/SnIn 4 S 8 heterojunctions exhibit the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity with 97.1% degradation efficiency of 2-nitrophenol in 120   min, which is much higher than those of individual CdS and SnIn 4 S 8 . The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be attributed to the effective separation and transfer of photogenerated charges originating from the well-matched band gap structures. Of special significance is that (0.5:1)CdS/SnIn 4 S 8 can effectively mineralize 2-nitrophenol and real pharmaceutical wastewater. Moreover, CdS/SnIn 4 S 8 nano-heterojunctions show excellent reusability in five cycles due to the stable surface composition and chemical valence state.