Studies on In(OH)ySz solid solutions:: Syntheses, characterizations, electronic structure, and visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities

Nanocrystalline In(OH)(y)S-z solid solutions were synthesized from In(NO3)(3) and thiourea in an aqueous solution of ethylenediamine via a facile hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N-2-sorption (BET surface area), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The position of the valence band for In(OH)(y)S-z was established by ultraviolet photoelectron spectra (UPS). Electronic band calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) revealed that upon being doped, several doping states derived from S 3p orbitals appeared in the band gap of undoped In(OH)(3). In(OH)(y)S-z showed visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of gaseous acetone. A possible sub-band-transition mechanism of the photocatalysis on In(OH)(y)S-z solid solutions under visible light irradiation was also proposed in this work.