Enlarged sheet of ZnS(en)0.5 hybrid semiconductors with photocatalytic activity

•Enlarged sheets of hybrid ZnS(en)0.5 semiconductors were obtained.•High stacking of ZnS layers was achieved at long aging time.•Optical–electronic properties are similar at different intercalated ZnS layers.•High activity in 4-NPate reduction was achieved with ZnS(en)0.5 and hydrazine.

Sheets of ZnS(en)0.5 hybrid semiconductors were prepared by the precipitation method in an ethylenediamine–water solution and it was enlarged by varying the aging at a long period time. The characterization of the hybrid material was carried out by different techniques such as FTIR, DRS-UV–vis spectroscopies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The number of intercalated ZnS layers in a ZnS(en)0.5 hybrid semiconductor was proposed to be determined by XRD. The photocatalytic activity of the enlarged sheet of ZnS(en)0.5 hybrid was investigated in the photoreduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the presence of hydrazine under UV light irradiation. The intrinsic photocatalytic activity of the ZnS(en)0.5 semiconductor sheets was associated with the number of intercalated ZnS layers, and possible mechanism of the electron transfer process was discussed.

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