Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
CdS decorated CuS structures have been controllably synthesized through a one-pot hydrothermal method. The morphologies and compositions of the as-prepared samples could be concurrently well controlled by simply tuning the amount of CdCl2 and thiourea. Using this strategy, the morphology of the products experienced from messy to flower-like morphologies with multiple porous densities, together with the phase evolution from pure CuS to the CdS/CuS composites. Serving as a photocatalyst, the samples synthesized with the addition of 1 mmol cadmium chloride and 3 mmol thiourea during synthetic process, showed the best photocatalytic activity, which could reach a maximum photocatalytic efficiency of 93% for methyl orange (MO) photodegradation after 150 min. The possible mechanism for the high photocatalytic efficiency of the sample was proposed by investigating the composition, surface area, structure, and morphology before and after photocatalytic reaction.
Highlights
Semiconductor photocatalysis as a green technology for wastewater/organic contaminants treatment and green energy production has attracted considerable attention since Fujishima and Honda realized water splitting to generate hydrogen by using TiO2 in 19721–4
The only differences observed from these patterns were the intensity increase of (100) peak and the intensity decrease of (101) and (006) peaks, which could be ascribed to the addition of Cl− ions and the amount change of thiourea during the synthetic process that result in a tiny stoichiometry vary of the copper sulfides[45]
Sample Cd-0 in Fig. 3a presents the hierarchical structures consisted of nanofibers, spheres, and flake-like morphology, illustrating the uncontrollable morphologies manner of the sample synthesized without the existence of CdCl2
Summary
Based on the above characteristic results, the photocatalytic reaction mechanism could be proposed as follows: (1) the individual CuS or CdS can generate photo-induced electron-hole pairs, they can recombine which results in the drastically decreased photocatalytic performance[3, 33]; (2) the specific surface area could significantly influence the photodegradation efficiency by affording different amount of active sites[28]; (3) the formation of heterojunction structure could effectively facilitate the separation of photo-induced electron-hole pairs, resulting in the enhanced photocatalytic activity[60]; (4) the growth of Cu2S on the surface of as-prepared samples could lead to the formation of the heterojunction structure with CuS and CdS, and provide unique structure to promote the photocatalytic activity. The photodegradation rate increment almost follows the trend of the enlarged specific surface area as summarized in Table 2 (N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms of the products were shown in Supporting Information Fig. SI-5), except for samples Cd-0.5, Cd-1, and Cd-2, which may be ascribed to the increased porosity as observed from SEM and TEM images and consistent with the previously reported result[28]. It is worthwhile to note that dyes decomposition using photocatalysts is a complicated process, and many factors should be considered together as well as the photodegradation of MO in this work
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
