Enhancement of visible-light-driven photocatalytic reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) with flower-like In3⁺-doped SnS₂

Microwave-assisted synthesis is a facile approach for overcoming critical disadvantages of conventional heating process, such as high temperature/pressure and longer heating/cooling time as well as low photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, 3D flower-like In³⁺-doped SnS₂ (InSnS₂) was successfully prepared by a microwave-assisted solvothermal method. InSnS₂ was applied to photocatalytic reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) under LED visible-light. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to indium doping, which can cause low recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Novel metal deposition on the photocatalyst surface and addition of organic acid as hole scavenger increased photocatalytic efficiency for the reduction of Cr(VI) under LED visible-light irradiation.