Wide Band Gap p-Block Metal Oxyhydroxide InOOH:  A New Durable Photocatalyst for Benzene Degradation

Abstract

Nanocrystalline InOOH was synthesized from In(NO 3 ) 3 and ethylenediamine via a facile solvothermal method. The obtained sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N 2 -sorption (BET surface area), UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The as-prepared InOOH showed photocatalytic activity for benzene degradation under 300-nm UV irradiations. Compared to P25, InOOH showed comparable conversion of benzene, higher mineralization, and no obvious deactivation of InOOH was observed during the prolonged operation. A possible mechanism of the photocatalysis over InOOH was also proposed.