Facile fabrication of novel In2S3–BiOCl nanocomposite-supported porous polymer monolith as new generation visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for decontaminating persistent toxic pollutants

Abstract

We report synthesizing a novel p-In2S3 and n-BiOCl heterojunction nanocomposite of varying β-In2S3 stoichiometry (10–50%) fabricated via. The hydrothermal and combustion methods. In2S3–BiOCl nanocomposites were homogeneously integrated onto a porous poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolith to serve as a high-performance visible-light-responsive renewable photocatalyst decontaminating toxic organic pollutants such as Rhodamine B. The photocatalyst's structural and surface features were characterized using ppowder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy–selected area electron diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectral, UV–Vis-diffuse reflectance spectral, photoluminescence spectral, Fourier transforms infrared, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller/Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) analysis. Using 20 wt% of In2S3 composition in the In2S3–BiOCl nanocomposite facilitated better electron–hole pair separation with excellent visible light responsive photocatalytic activity, confirmed through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectral and bandgap measurements. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller/BJH analysis revealed that the In2S3–BiOCl nanocomposite-loaded poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolith had high surface area and pore dimensions, with voluminous photoactive sites. The role of analytical parameters such as pH, nanocomposite ratio, photocatalyst dosage, dye concentration, photosensitizers/oxidizers, and light intensity were studied/optimized. Under the optimized conditions of pH 2.0, 100 mg photocatalyst dosage, 30 ppm dye concentration, 1.0 mM KBrO3, and 300 W/cm2 visible light intensity, the monolithic photocatalyst showed a dissipation efficiency of ≥98.6% for Rhodamine B in ≤0.3 h. The renewable photocatalyst can be reused for six cycles without loss in efficiency/performance and proved promising in efficiently decontaminating persistent organic pollutants at an affordable cost and time.