Synthesis and Characterization of CuS/CdS Photocatalyst with Enhanced Visible Light-Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

In the present study, visible light active CuS/CdS nanocomposites of various compositions (1%, 2% and 3%) were synthesized via wet impregnation method and these photocatalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the synthesized photocatalysts was evaluated from the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under the visible light irradiation. Among all compositions, a 1% CuS/CdS nanocomposite showed about 89.5% degradation in 90 min than the pure CuS, CdS and other composites. Photoluminescence and photoelectrochemical measurements indicated that the 1% CuS/CdS nanocomposite greatly enhanced the charge generation and restrained the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. A possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation has been proposed.