Rational design of direct Z-scheme magnetic ZnIn2S4/ZnFe2O4 heterojunction toward enhanced photocatalytic wastewater remediation

The rationally designed heterojunction photocatalysts with magnetic semiconductors and easy recyclability have received considerable attention due to their great advantages in practical application. In our work, a series of ZnIn2S4/ZnFe2O4 Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts with superior magnetic properties were synthesized by a gentle chemical bath method and utilized for the effective photodegradation and Cr(VI) reduction under irradiation. Systematic evaluation experiments revealed that the derived ZnIn2S4/ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts exhibited enhanced photocatalytic efficiency for RhB degradation and Cr(VI) reduction as compared with pristine ZnIn2S4 and ZnFe2O4, which was primarily due to the close contact interface and the formation of Z − scheme charge transfer mechanism between ZnFe2O4 rods and ZnIn2S4 nanosheets. Moreover, the as-synthesized photocatalyst could be easily recycled with a remarkable photocatalytic performance because of its magnetic separation characteristic. The present work opens up a vast prospect for the design of highly efficient and magnetically separable photocatalysts for environmental remediation.