Novel Fe-doped ZnO-CdS nanocomposite with enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Chemical precipitation method was employed to synthesize the Fe-doped ZnO-CdS nanocomposites. The influence of incorporated Fe ions on the properties of nanocomposites was examined by various spectroscopic characterisations. XRD patterns of as-prepared sample exhibited a hexagonal crystal phase for both ZnO and CdS. Non-uniformly distributed spherical-shaped morphologies were observed from the SEM and TEM analyses. EPR spectrum displayed a sharp signal at g = 2.02. Photoluminescence spectrum of the prepared sample exhibited emission peaks in ultraviolet and visible regions. In the magnetic study, a significant enhancement was observed in the ferromagnetism by adding Fe impurities to the ZnO-CdS nanocomposite at room temperature. The synthesised Fe-doped ZnO-CdS nanocomposites exhibited a superior catalytic performance than pure ZnO and ZnO-CdS nanocomposites.