Antimony sulphoiodide (SbSI), a narrow band-gap non-oxide ternary semiconductor with efficient photocatalytic activity

Tamilselvan, Muthusamy and Bhattacharyya, Aninda J (2016) Antimony sulphoiodide (SbSI), a narrow band-gap non-oxide ternary semiconductor with efficient photocatalytic activity. In: RSC ADVANCES, 6 (107). pp. 105980-105987.

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Abstract

In the context of the harvesting of solar photons, one dimensional semiconductors are attractive as they provide uninterrupted transport pathways for charge carriers, along the covalently bonded atomic chain direction. Moreover, the one-dimensional growth leads to a lower proportion of dangling bonds at the surfaces due to preferential growth in a particular direction. We report here a non-metal oxide semiconductor, antimony sulphoiodide (SbSI) which displays high optical absorption and a low and tunable band gap for visible light photocatalytic applications. Highly crystalline 1-D micro-rods of SbSI which eventually self-assemble into 3-D ``urchin''-shaped structures are synthesized by using a simple solution method. The morphology of the SbSI is studied in terms of the dangling bonds at the surface planes. The results conclusively show that the SbSI has a lower proportion of dangling bonds at the surface. The electronic structure of SbSI, studied using density functional theory, displays a large static dielectric constant due to the ns(2) cation (Sb3+) which enhances the separation of electron and hole pairs effectively. The combination of these two features makes SbSI a promising material for visible photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water, in spite of an overall low surface area (approximate to 2.6 m(2) g(-1)).

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	RSC ADVANCES
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY, THOMAS GRAHAM HOUSE, SCIENCE PARK, MILTON RD, CAMBRIDGE CB4 0WF, CAMBS, ENGLAND
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Solid State & Structural Chemistry Unit
Date Deposited:	04 Jan 2017 04:27
Last Modified:	04 Jan 2017 04:27
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/55661

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