Synthesis of g-C3N4/CaIn2S4 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

A series of graphite-like g-C3N4 hybridized CaIn2S4 photocatalysts with different g-C3N4 contents were fabricated via a facile hydrothermal synthetic method. These as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Visible absorption spectra (UV-Vis) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. Under visible light irradiation, the as-prepared g-C3N4/CaIn2S4 nanocomposites showed enhanced photocatalytic performance for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. The sample with 5 wt% g-C3N4 hybridized CaIn2S4 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. The enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation could be attributed to the high separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. This work could provide a new insight into the fabrication of visible light driven photocatalysts with efficient and stable performance.