Controlled syntheses of cubic and hexagonal ZnIn2S4nanostructures with different visible-light photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Cubic ZnIn₂S₄ nanoparticles and hexagonal ZnIn₂S₄ flower-like microspheres were controlled synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method by simply changing the metal precursors. The as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and UV-vis DRS. It was found that the metal precursors influenced the final ZnIn₂S₄ polymorphs, i.e., metal nitrates led to the formation of cubic ZnIn₂S₄, while metal chlorides resulted in the formation of the hexagonal phase. The formation processes of the cubic ZnIn₂S₄ nanoparticles and hexagonal ZnIn₂S₄ flower-like microspheres were investigated and the mechanism of the phase formation was proposed. Although both cubic and hexagonal ZnIn₂S₄ polymorphs exhibited photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic performances over cubic and hexagonal ZnIn₂S₄ were different.