InVO4 microspheres: Preparation, characterization and visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities

New types of visible-light-driven semiconductor photocatalysts for the applications of environmental improvement and solar energy conversion have received much attention. In this study, a novel visible-light-driven InVO4 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a facile additive-free hydrothermal method. The product is 3D spheric structure and well-crystallized. Pt loading plays a key role in this system. Pt nanocrystals on the particle surface not only act as charge collectors and transporters but also produce much more active sites. The Pt–InVO4 photocatalyst exhibited excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity that reach the ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation ratio of 98.2% and H2 production rate of 9.76 μmol h−1 g−1 with methanol as the sacrifice reagent.

► The 3D structured InVO4 microspheres were prepared with an additive-free method. ► The product exhibits super high degradation performance of CIP under visible-light. ► The product has the ability to produce hydrogen from water under visible-light.