Abstract
The development of highly active and stable photocatalysts, an effective way to remediate environment pollution and alleviate energy shortages, remains a challenging issue. In this work, a CdIn(2)S(4)/In(OH)(3) nanocomposite was deposited in-situ on NiCr-LDH nanosheets by a simple hydrothermal method, and the obtained CdIn(2)S(4)/In(OH)(3)/NiCr-LDH heterostructure photocatalysts with multiple intimate-contact interfaces exhibited better photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic H(2) evolution rate of CdIn(2)S(4)/In(OH)(3)/NiCr-LDH increased to 10.9 and 58.7 times that of the counterparts CdIn(2)S(4) and NiCr-LDH, respectively. Moreover, the photocatalytic removal efficiency of Cr(VI) increased from 6% for NiCr-LDH and 75% for CdIn(2)S(4) to 97% for CdIn(2)S(4)/In(OH)(3)/NiCr-LDH. The enhanced photocatalytic performance was attributed to the formation of multi-interfaces with strong interfacial interactions and staggered band alignments, which offered multiple pathways for carrier migration, thus promoting the separation efficiency of photo-excited electrons and holes. This study demonstrates a facile method to fabricate inexpensive and efficient heterostructure photocatalysts for solving environmental problems.