Floating microparticles of ZnIn2S4 @hollow glass microsphere for enhanced photocatalytic activity

The irreconcilable contradiction between high performance of photocatalysis and reclamation difficulty of micro/nano photocatalysts is still a barrier for the wide application of photocatalytic technology. In order to increase the efficiency of light utilization and facilitate recycling, visible-light photocatalysts ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) grafted on floating hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) were prepared through a controllable hydrothermal method. The hollow structural composite microspheres were prepared by depositing a layer of ZIS nano-film onto the surface of the coarsening hydroxyl/amino-functionalized HGMs via a chemical self-assembly process. The different pretreatment methods of HGMs resulted in the change in the structure pattern, morphology and photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared ZIS@HGMs composite microspheres. In addition, the possible growth mechanism of the formation process of ZIS@HGMs composite microspheres was proposed. Finally, the as-prepared ZIS@HGMs composite microspheres exhibited an enhanced degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) versus ZIS powder under visible light irradiation. The as prepared floating photocatalysts have good dispersibility and could be recycled by simple filtration. The present study provided a promising approach to keep the high performance of photocatalysis as well as efficient recycling of micro/nano photocatalysts.