Construction of hierarchical Bi2WO6/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction for boosting photocatalytic performance in degradation of organic compounds and reduction of hexavalent chromium

We report the application of hierarchical Bi2WO6/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and reduction of Cr (VI). The activity of all samples is comprehensively estimated by Cr (VI) reduction and RhB degradation under visible light. The results show the Bi2WO6/ZnIn2S4 composite with matched energy band structure can promote carrier migration and visible light absorption. The photocatalytic performance of Bi2WO6/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction for Cr (VI) reduction and RhB degradation is much better than that of original Bi2WO6 and ZnIn2S4. In particular, the photocatalytic efficiency of BW/ZIS-0.2 (Bi2WO6 loading of 20 wt%) is about 7.50 times that of the original ZnIn2S4 and dozens of times that of Bi2WO6. This is due to the close interface contact brought by the core-shell structure, the improvement of electron transport by heterojunction and the enhancement of visible light absorption. This work will inspire people to develop efficient photocatalysts through the design of core-shell heterostructures.