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Tubular In 2 O 3 @SnIn 4 S 8 hierarchical hybrid photocatalyst was firstly fabricated by a two-step method. The morphology and composition were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD results show that the obtained In 2 O 3 microtubes were highly crystallized, while the SnIn 4 S 8 flakes prepared at low temperature were poorly crystallized. The SEM image of the hybrid shows that numerous SnIn 4 S 8 nanoflakes were assembled over the surface of In 2 O 3 microtubes. In 2 O 3 served as dispersing-templates have reduced the agglomeration of SnIn 4 S 8 flakes. Meanwhile, the heterojunctions formed at the interfaces between In 2 O 3 and SnIn 4 S 8 could facilitate the interfacial charge transfer, as well as promote the photocatalytic activity of the hybrid. In the treatment of Cr(VI)-containing wastewater, the In 2 O 3 @SnIn 4 S 8 hybrid not only exhibited strong adsorption ability, but also showed remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with pure SnIn 4 S 8 . The photocatalytic reaction constant k for In 2 O 3 @SnIn 4 S 8 was approximately 2.54 times higher than that of SnIn 4 S 8 . The efficient activity of this hybrid photocatalyst should be ascribed to the promoted separation efficiency of electron/hole pairs, which was proved by the following three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectra (3D EEMs), photocurrent responds, and EIS characterizations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this manuscript, rod-like Bi 4 O 7 decorated Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 plates were fabricated for the first time. Compared with pristine Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 , the tight decoration of Bi 4 O 7 over Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 plates not only strengthened the visible light absorption, but also enhanced the separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers. As expected, the heterostructured Bi 4 O 7 /Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 composites have exhibited highly promoted photocatalytic activities in decomposing Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. The BOBC-2 sample displayed the best activity with a reaction rate constant of 0.0245 min -1 , which was 3.8 times higher than that of pure Bi 4 O 7 . Besides RhB, the Bi 4 O 7 /Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 composites also displayed superior activity toward colorless contaminants with stable chemical structures, such as phenol, p-tert-butylphenol, and o-phenylphenol. The activity enhancement should be ascribed to the proper energy levels of the materials and formation of heterojunction at their interfaces, which could facilitate the charge transfer and promote the separation efficiency. Following transient photocurrent response, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence emission tests all verified this. In addition, controlled experiments using various radical scavengers proved that O 2 - and h + played the chief role in decomposing organic pollutants. This work may provide a new method for constructing Bi-based heterostructured photocatalysts with high activity., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A novel indium trisulfide/zinc germinate (In 2 S 3 /Zn 2 GeO 4 ) composite was developed via a co-precipitation hydrothermal method. The as-prepared composite was characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Zn 2 GeO 4 nanorods work as the main photocatalyst while In 2 S 3 nanoparticles deposited on them acts as the photosensitizer. The resulting In 2 S 3 /Zn 2 GeO 4 heterogeneous photocatalyst not only has enhanced visible light absorption, but also improved photo-generated charge transfer efficiency with remarkably high efficiency in decomposing acetaminophen (APAP). The composite photocatalyst with the mass ratio of 30% In 2 S 3 showed the best activity for APAP degradation under visible light, with performance far superior to that of In 2 S 3 , nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N-TiO 2 ), Degussa P25, and Zn 2 GeO 4 . The influences of various parameters (i.e., catalyst dosage, solution pH, and initial concentration of APAP) and background interference (humic acid (HA) and bicarbonate (HCO 3 - )) on the photodegradation efficiency for APAP were also discussed. The mechanistic studies revealed that holes and superoxide radicals are mainly involved in the photodegradation of APAP by In 2 S 3 /Zn 2 GeO 4 composite. A probable reaction mechanism of APAP degradation under visible light over In 2 S 3 /Zn 2 GeO 4 heterojunction was proposed., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)