Preparation
of Single-Crystalline AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> Octahedrons with
Exposed {111} Facets and Its Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalytic
H<sub>2</sub> Production Activity
Shuaishuai Song
Zechen Liang
Wenli Fu
Tianyou Peng
10.1021/acsami.7b01741.s001
https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Preparation_of_Single-Crystalline_AgIn_sub_5_sub_S_sub_8_sub_Octahedrons_with_Exposed_111_Facets_and_Its_Visible-Light-Responsive_Photocatalytic_H_sub_2_sub_Production_Activity/4996715
Although AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> as one kind of ternary chalcogenides has been
extensively investigated due to its band-edge positions meeting the
thermodynamic requirement for water photosplitting, very little attention
has been focused on the crystallinity and facet effects of AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> on its photocatalytic activity. Herein, a facile
hydrothermal route was developed to fabricate regular single-crystalline
AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> octahedrons with only {111} facets exposed.
Also, the effects of the hydrothermal reaction conditions on the composition,
crystal phase, crystallinity, and morphology of the obtained Ag<sub><i>x</i></sub>In<sub><i>y</i></sub>S<sub>(<i>x</i>+3<i>y</i>/2)</sub> products (hereafter denoted
as AIS-<i>x</i>, where <i>x</i> represents the
pH value of the reaction solution) were investigated, and it was found
that the accurately released S<sup>2–</sup> ions from the thermal
decomposition of thioacetamide (TAA) is the central factor for the
nucleation and growth of the AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> octahedrons.
The experimental results indicate that the resultant regular AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> octahedrons (AIS-10.6) exhibit the best photocatalytic
activity for H<sub>2</sub> production among those Ag<sub><i>x</i></sub>In<sub><i>y</i></sub>S<sub>(<i>x</i>+3<i>y</i>/2)</sub> products, and the higher crystallinity and fewer
defects of the AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> octahedrons compared
to the other Ag<sub><i>x</i></sub>In<sub><i>y</i></sub>S<sub>(<i>x</i>+3<i>y</i>/2)</sub> products
can retard the photogenerated charge recombination, while those indium
atoms with higher density in the exposed {111} facets might be beneficial
for the photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub> production reaction by acting
as active sites to promote the charge separation and transfer processes.
The results presented here provide new insights into the significance
of crystallinity and exposed facets in the visible-light-responsive
activity of AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub>, thus paving new ways into
the design and synthesis of high-performance, cost-effective AgIn<sub>5</sub>S<sub>8</sub> photocatalysts for H<sub>2</sub> production.
2017-05-08 00:00:00
crystallinity
photogenerated charge recombination
TAA
band-edge positions meeting
single-crystalline AgIn 5 S 8 octahedrons
AgIn 5 S 8 octahedrons
y S
H 2 production
Ag x
facet
Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalytic H 2 Production Activity
hydrothermal reaction conditions
AgIn 5 S 8
photocatalytic H 2 production reaction
AIS
AgIn 5 S 8 photocatalysts
photocatalytic activity
Single-Crystalline AgIn 5 S 8 Octahedrons