Microwave hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic activity of AgIn5S8 for the degradation of dye

AgIn₅S₈ powders were successfully synthesized by a microwave hydrothermal method for the first time. This method is a mild and highly efficient route involves no templates, catalysts, or surfactants. Therefore, it is very promising for the low-cost and large-scale industrial production. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of AgIn₅S₈ nanoparticles was investigated through the degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. Compared with TiO_2−xN_x, AgIn₅S₈ has exhibited a superior activity under the same condition. A liquid chromatogram-mass spectrometer was used to separate and identify the dye and degradation products generated during the reaction. According to the experiment results, a possible mechanism for the degradation of organic pollutant over AgIn₅S₈ was proposed.