Volume 49 Number 3

Ultrasmall Ni clusters decorated In₂ O₃ quantum dots on black phosphorus nanosheets for enhanced photocatalysis

Dunhua Hong^*, Mingjiang Wang, Lijuan Peng, Shuiqin Liu, Chunyan Lei

 
ABSTRACT:     A ternary heterojunction composite with ultrasmall nickel clusters anchored on In2 O3 quantum dots decorated on few-layer black phosphorus nanosheets (Ni-In2 O3 QDs@BP NSs) was designed to overcome non-precious metal cocatalyst aggregation and rapid charge recombination in photocatalysis. The composite was synthesized via high-temperature hydrothermal synthesis, liquid exfoliation, in situ deposition, and ligand-assisted loading of ultrasmall Ni clusters. Structural characterizations suggested the successful formation of ultrasmall Ni clusters and highly dispersed Ni species. Under simulated solar light, the optimized composite (3 wt% In2 O3 QDs, 1.1 wt% Ni) exhibited a photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 3265 mol/g/h, 89.6% degradation of tetracycline within 60 min, and 93.4% degradation of Rhodamine B within 12 min. Photoelectrochemical tests and radical trapping experiments revealed significantly enhanced charge separation efficiency, with ?O 2 and ?OH as the dominant active species. The synergistic effect between the In2 O3 QDs/BP NSs heterojunction and ultrasmall Ni clusters promotes spatial separation and utilization of photogenerated carriers, offering a promising strategy for designing high-performance, non-precious metal photocatalysts.

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* Corresponding author, E-mail: dunhua_2008@yeah.net

Received 1 Mar 2026, Accepted 12 Jul 2026