S-doped HTiNbO5 nanosheets: A novel efficient visible-light photocatalyst

S-doped HTiNbO5 nanosheets were prepared via an exfoliation-flocculation-calcination process using layered HTiNbO5 as the starting material and thiourea as the S source. The resulting catalyst had higher surface area and visible-light absorption than did unexfoliated HTiNbO5 or HTiNbO5 nanosheets. The adsorption and photodegradation of rhodamine B were evaluated under visible-light irradiation on the obtained catalysts. Both HTiNbO5 nanosheets and S-doped HTiNbO5 nanosheets showed enhanced adsorption capacity and a high visible-light photodegradation rate. However, a much higher degree of mineralization (41%) was achieved using the S-doped HTiNbO5 nanosheets, compared with almost no mineralization for the HTiNbO5 nanosheets, indicating that S doping can effectively improve the photocatalytic activity of nanosheets. The possible photodegradation mechanisms are also discussed.

Graphical abstractS-doped HTiNbO5 nanosheets have increased surface area and clear visible-light absorption. These catalysts showed a high visible-light photodegradation rate and a relatively high mineralization degree of 41%, indicating that S doping can effectively improve the photocatalytic activity of nanosheets.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide