Synthesis of C-coated ZnIn2S4 nanocomposites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic selective oxidation activity

•C-coated ZnIn2S4 was firstly synthesized via a mild solvothermal approach.•The C-coated ZnIn2S4 exert higher photocatalytic activity than blank ZnIn2S4.•The enhanced activity can be attributed to the intimate interfacial contacts.•A possible photocatalytic mechanism is proposed and discussed.

C-coated ZnIn2S4 nanocomposites were successfully synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal approach. Their structure and properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). According to the results, C-coated ZnIn2S4 nanocomposites are evenly wrapped by carbon layers, and their optical and electronic properties have been improved compared to blank ZnIn2S4. Such properties can be tuned by changing the amounts of glucose added. Moreover, C-coated ZnIn2S4 nanocomposites exhibit much better photocatalytic performance than blank ZnIn2S4 toward the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol under visible light and mild conditions. The best performance was observed at 30 mg of glucose addition, which achieved 95% selectivity, 70% conversion and 68% yield. This is attributed to the synergistic effect based on the intimate interfacial contacts between the carbon layers and ZnIn2S4, which could prolong the lifetime of photoexcited carriers. Our work could enlarge the application of ZnIn2S4 as a visible-light-driven photocatalyst.

Graphical abstractThe C-coated ZnIn2S4 have been synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal approach. The C/ZIS-0.03 exhibits the best and much higher photocatalytic performance among all the samples toward selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde under visible light irradiation. The remarkably enhanced photocatalytic performance for appropriate amount C-coated ZnIn2S4 can be attributed to the synergistic effect based on the intimate interfacial contacts between the carbon layers and ZnIn2S4.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (234 K)Download as PowerPoint slide