Anchoring ZnIn2S4 nanosheets on ZSM-5 for boosting photocatalytic Cr(vi) reduction

A core-shell heterostructure is developed via the in situ growth of ultrathin ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) nanosheets on ZSM-5 particles under mild conditions. Serving as an ideal host and electron acceptor, ZSM-5 helps to effectively avoid the self-agglomeration of ZIS nanosheets and restricts the rapid recombination rate of photo-generated electron and hole pairs. Benefiting from the dual functional roles of ZSM-5 as well as the stable heterostructure interface, the obtained ZSM-5@ZIS composite with an optimized composition exhibits a remarkable photocatalytic Cr(vi) reduction efficiency of completely reducing 30 mg L-1 Cr(vi) within only 7 min under visible-light irradiation (light intensity: 160 mW cm(-2)) with a catalyst loading of 1.0 mg mL(-1), the performance of which is superior to that of most ZIS-based advanced photocatalysts reported in the literature.