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A Hierarchical Nanostructured Carbon Nanofiber–In 2 S 3 Photocatalyst with High Photodegradation and Disinfection Abilities Under Visible Light
Author(s) -
Gao Peng,
Li An Ran,
Tai Ming Hang,
Liu Zhao Yang,
Sun Darren Delai
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chemistry – an asian journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.18
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1861-471X
pISSN - 1861-4728
DOI - 10.1002/asia.201400057
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , photodegradation , materials science , nanostructure , visible spectrum , nanofiber , nanotechnology , degradation (telecommunications) , carbon fibers , chemical engineering , catalysis , composite material , chemistry , composite number , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , computer science , telecommunications , engineering
Abstract Photocatalytic degradation of pollutants under visible light provides a new door to solve the water contamination problem by utilizing free and renewable sunlight. The search for highly efficient photocatalysts with hierarchical nanostructures remains crucial for accessing this new door. In this work, a new hierarchical nanostructured photocatalyst is designed and synthesized, for the first time, by anchoring In 2 S 3 flower‐like nanostructures on non‐woven carbon nanofiber (CNF). The nanostructures of these CNF–In 2 S 3 composites were fine‐tuned, with the aim of achieving the highest photocatalytic activity under visible light. The formation mechanism of the hierarchical nanostructure is also investigated. The results indicate that the optimized hierarchical CNF–In 2 S 3 photocatalyst is superior in photodegradation and disinfection efficiency to that of pure In 2 S 3 under visible‐light irradiation. The prominent photocatalytic activities of these hierarchical CNF–In 2 S 3 photocatalysts can be attributed to the excellent properties of enhanced light absorption, large surface area, and efficient charge separation, which are all derived from the special three‐dimensional hierarchical nanostructures. Therefore, this work presents the great potential of this hierarchical nanostructured CNF–In 2 S 3 photocatalyst in practical environmental remediation fields.