In-situ synthesis of floating ZnInS/cellulose foam for facile photocatalysis.

The delicate design of photocatalyst monoliths is of great significance for the practical applications of artificial photocatalysis. An in-situ synthesis to prepare ZnInS/cellulose foam was developed. Cellulose is dispersed in a highly concentrated ZnCl aqueous solution to prepare Zn/cellulose foam. Zn ions are pre-anchored by hydrogen bonds on cellulose and become in-situ sites for synthesizing ultra-thin ZnInS nanosheets. This synthesis method makes ZnInS nanosheets and cellulose tightly bound and prevents ZnInS nanosheets from stacking in multiple layers. As a proof of concept, the prepared ZnInS/cellulose foam exhibits a favorable performance for photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) under visible light. By adjusting the concentration of zinc ions, the optimal ZnInS/cellulose foam is capable to completely reduce Cr(VI) in 2 h and the photocatalytic activities show no decrease after 4 cycles. This work could inspire people to build floating cellulose-based photocatalysts via in-situ synthesis.