New Photocatalyst, Sb₂S₃, for Degradation of Methyl Orange under Visible-Light Irradiation

A novel visible-light photocatalyst, Sb 2 S 3, was synthesized with a simple method. The specimen was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results revealed that the as-synthesized sample was orthorhombic phase and consisted of rodlike particles. It possessed a surface area of 15.1 m 2 ·g −1, and the band gap was about 1.66 eV. The photocatalytic activity of Sb 2 S 3 nanorods was evaluated by the decomposition of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. The results demonstrated that the photodegradation ratio of methyl orange was up to 97% after 30 min of irradiation, which was much better than that of CdS and TiO 2− x N x under the same condition. Meanwhile, the possible mechanism of the photocatalytic reaction had also been studied by liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry, and the •OH had been detected also by terephthalic acid photoluminescence probing technique.