Degradation of Organic Dyes by CdSe Decorated Graphene Nanocomposite in Dark Ambiance

Abstract

Cadmium selenide (CdSe)-graphene composite materials were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method and the intriguing catalytic activity of the composites was investigated using organic dyes in complete absence of irradiation source (UV or visible light). The catalytic activity of CdSe-graphene composites was measured using methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (Rh.B) dye solutions. The characterizations of composites were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The catalytic degradation was measured by analyzing the decrease in absorbance spectra in UV-Vis spectroscopy. The degradation of the organic dyes in absence of any irradiation was illustrated by the degradation property of CdSe and charge mobility. The catalytic activity after repeated use of the composites was also tested in order to investigate the stability of CdSe-graphene composites.