Improved visible-light photocatalytic activity and anti-photocorrosion of CdS nanoparticles surface-modified by conjugated derivatives from polyvinyl chloride

Abstract

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles were surface-modified by conjugated polymer (CPVC) derived from conventional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) via heat-treatment at 150°C. The as-prepared CPVC/CdS nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and photocurrent (Iph). The visible-light photocatalytic activity and stability of the nanocomposites were investigated by evaluating photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) and phenol, and their anti-photocorrosion performance was investigated by determining the concentrations of Cd2+ in the photodegrading systems under visible light irradiation. The results show that a small amount of CPVC on the surface of CdS nanoparticles hardly changes their crystallinity and sizes, while significantly improves their absorption in visible light range and separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. The CPVC/CdS nanocomposites exhibit much higher visible-light photocatalytic activity and anti-photocorrosion performance than pure CdS, and show good visible-light photocatalytic stability. The visible-light photocatalytic mechanism has been discussed.