Urchin-like band-matched FeO@InS hybrid as an efficient photocatalyst for CO reduction.

Herein, an urchin-like FeO@InS hybrid composite is designed and synthesized using a facile process. The composite efficiently harvests light in both the ultraviolet and visible regions, and the unique hierarchical structure provides several advantages for photocatalytic applications: (i) a suitable band-matching structure and broadband-light absorbing capacity enable the reduction of CO into hydrocarbon, (ii) the extensive network of interfacial contact between nano-sized FeO and InS significantly increases the separation of charge carriers and enhances the utilization of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and (iii) an abundance of surface oxygen vacancies provide numerous active sites for CO molecule adsorption. The optimized FeO@InS composite generated CO from the photocatalytic reduction of CO at a rate of 42.83 μmol·g·h, and no signs of deactivation were observed during continued testing for 32 h under 300 W Xe lamp irradiation.