Cu2ZnSnS4@TiO2 p-n heterostructured nanosheet arrays: Controllable hydrothermal synthesis and enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic activity

We have designed and fabricated a novel particle/sheet p-n heterostructural nanosheet arrays of Cu2ZnSnS4@TiO2 via a facile two-step hydrothermal method. The results from characterizations of SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman spectra, XPS, and UV-vis spectrophotometer indicate that p-type Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticles were successfully assembled on the vertically oriented TiO2 nanosheet arrays, forming three-dimensional distributed p-n heterostructural film photocatalyst, which could efficiently expand spectral response, promote photoinduced charges separation, and increase the specific surface areas for photocatalytic reaction, and then strengthen samples' visible light-driven photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, we found that the absorption edges of the samples exhibited the red shift from 390 nm to 700 nm with the CZTS deposition time. The results of photocatalytic degradation methyl orange (MO) showed that the new type CZTS@TiO2 p-n heterostructural nanosheet arrays with 24 h hydrothermal reaction revealed the optimal degradation rate of K = 1.2 h−1, about 6.6 times higher than that of the pure TiO2 nanosheet arrays under the same conditions; and also demonstrated an excellent stability and reusability during the cyclic experiments, which would be primarily attributed to optimal loading capacities of CZTS nanoparticles and an adequate built-in electric field at their interfaces of p-n heterostructures.