Synthesis of ZnIn2S4/H2Ti3O7 nanowire heterojunctions for enhanced photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)

The development of heterojunction photocatalysis provides an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable approach to mitigating heavy metal contamination in the ecosystem. In this work, ZnIn 2 S 4 /H 2 Ti 3 O 7 heterojunctions have been successfully constructed via the in-situ growth of ZnIn 2 S 4 on H 2 Ti 3 O 7 nanowires. This rational structure enhances the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers and suppresses carriers recombination. The ZnIn 2 S 4 /H 2 Ti 3 O 7 heterojunction exhibits significantly enhanced performance in the photoreduction of Cr(VI), and under 8 min illumination, it can achieve 100% photoreduction efficiency. The active species capture experiment confirmed that electrons served as the primary active species in the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI). This work offers support for the rational design of highly efficient heterojunction photocatalyst dedicated to environmental remediation.