Grinding combined melt-diffusion synthesis of sulfur/P25 heterostructure for enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

• Sulfur/P25 heterostructure was prepared by grinding combined melt-diffusion method.
• In the heterostructure, sulfur serves as a photocenter for absorbing visible light.
• The charges transfer between P25 and sulfur increases charge separation efficiency.
• The heterostructure exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity for MO degradation.

A facile grinding combined melt-diffusion method has been developed to prepare sulfur/P25 heterostructure only using commercial sulfur and P25 as raw materials. This combination of sulfur with P25 not only extended the light absorption spectrum but also enhanced the separation efficiency of photoinduced charge carriers. In the sulfur/P25 heterostructure, sulfur acts as a photocenter for absorbing visible light to generate more charge carriers. The transfer of charge carriers between the anatase, rutile phase of TiO2, and sulfur components increases the charge separation efficiency. As a result, sulfur/P25 heterostructure exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity for degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation than commercial P25. Our results might open up a promising way to develop a novel and highly efficient TiO2-based heterostructure photocatalyst under a wide range of visible light.

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