Abstract
Co3O4/In2O3 nanocomposites were prepared via a microwave-hydrothermal method and directly used as photoanodes for the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) process to reduce Cr(VI). The as-prepared Co3O4/In2O3 composites show a rod-like structure, which is composed of nanoparticles. The PEC experiments indicated that after 120 min of irradiation with 0.7 V bias voltage and visible light, the Cr(VI) reduction efficiency of Co3O4/In2O3 composites in aqueous solution was 100%, which was superior to the samples prepared by other methods. Moreover, the Co3O4/In2O3 composite still had a high catalytic activity after five runs of PEC experiments. Elimination experiments demonstrate that photo-generated electrons (e–) performed a key role in the catalytic reduction of Cr(VI). The significantly improved PEC performance can be attributed to the bias voltage and the p-n heterojunction formed between Co3O4 and In2O3. Therefore, Co3O4/In2O3 nanocomposites have a considerable potential for the PEC reduction of Cr(VI).
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 8755–8766 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | ACS Applied Nano Materials |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 24 Jun 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 22 Jul 2022 |
Keywords
- PEC
- reduction of Cr(VI)
- p-n heterojunction
- Co3O4/In2O3
- microwave-hydrothermal
- Co O /In O