Solvothermal synthesis of CdIn2S4 photocatalyst for selective photosynthesis of organic aromatic compounds under visible light

Cancan Ling,Sugang Meng,Xianliang Fu,Shifu Chen,Xiangju Ye,Jinfeng Zhang,Sujuan Zhang,Jinghu Zhang

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-00055-5

Cancan Ling, Sugang Meng + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-00055-5

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Abstract

Ternary chalcogenide semiconductor, cadmium indium sulfide (CdIn2S4), was prepared by a simple solvothermal method using ethylene glycol as a solvent, as well as indium chloride tetrahydrate (InCl3.4H2O), cadmium nitrate tetrahydrate [Cd(NO3)2.4H2O], and thiacetamide (TAA) as precursors. The resulted sample was subject to a series of characterizations. It is the first time to use CdIn2S4 sample as a visible light-driven photocatalyst for simultaneous selective redox transformation of organic aromatic compounds. The results indicate that the as-synthesized CdIn2S4 photocatalyst not only has excellent photocatalytic performance compared with pure In2S3 and CdS for the selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols in an oxygen environment, but also shows high photocatalytic redox activities under nitrogen atmosphere. A possible mechanism for the photocatalytic redox reaction in the coupled system was proposed. It is hoped that our current work could extend the applications of CdIn2S4 photocatalyst and provide new insights for selective transformations of organic compounds.

Highlights

The photocatalytic technology has attracted much attention for the scholars of different fields since Fujishima and Honda found that TiO2 as electrode can decompose water to produce hydrogen and oxygen in 19721
CdIn2S4 photocatalyst prepared by a simple solvothermal method shows high photocatalytic activity for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde and reduction of nitrobenzene into aniline in a coupled system
The conduction band minimum (CBM) is at G point, and the valence band maximum (VBM) is not at the high symmetry point but located in the direction of M → G (Fig. 2a), which indicates that CdIn2S4 is an indirect band gap semiconductor

Summary

Introduction

The photocatalytic technology has attracted much attention for the scholars of different fields since Fujishima and Honda found that TiO2 as electrode can decompose water to produce hydrogen and oxygen in 19721. CdIn2S4 photocatalyst prepared by a simple solvothermal method shows high photocatalytic activity for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde and reduction of nitrobenzene into aniline in a coupled system. Compared with pure CdS and In2S3, the as-synthesized CdIn2S4 photocatalyst exhibits a terrific activity for oxidation of benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde in oxygen atmosphere under visible light irradiation, as well as selective oxidation of different aromatic alcohols into corresponding aldehydes and reduction of nitrobenzene into aniline in nitrogen atmosphere.

Results

Conclusion