Single-Crystalline Semiconductor In(OH)₃ Nanocubes with Bifunctions: Superhydrophobicity and Photocatalytic Activity

Indium hydroxide [In(OH)₃] nanocubes were synthesized using a simple amino acid-assisted hydrothermal process. The wettability of the as-synthesized In(OH)₃ nanocubes films is studied by measuring water contact angle (CA). The static CA for water over 150° is observed, which is closely related to both the In(OH)₃ nanocubes structure and chemical modification. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared In(OH)₃ nanocubes is evaluated by testing the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. The degradation rate of RhB reaches 93.25% after 16 h of adding as-synthesized In(OH)₃ nanocubes in RhB solution, which can be attributed to the large surface area of In(OH)₃ nanocubes for helping to increase the photocatalytic reaction sites.