Synthesis and characterization of CdS/CeO2 Nanocomposite with improved visible-light photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange dye

Abstract

Different types of photocatalysts in single and binary systems in different molar ratios were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. Crystal structure, surface area, morphology, bandgap energy, functional groups, and optical properties of the as-synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by using XRD, BET, SEM-EDX, UV/Vis, FTIR, and PL instruments, respectively. Photocatalytic activities of the single and binary composite were evaluated by using an aqueous solution of model pollutant MeO. Photocatalytic activities of binary CdS/CeO2 (1:1) nanocomposite were found to be higher than those of single counterparts. The degradation efficiencies of the binary system were found to be 53.73%. The reusability of the binary photocatalyst was tested and only about 33% decrement was observed after four successive runs. The degradation of MeO dye follows the pseudo-first-order kinetics for the entire as-synthesized nanocomposite. The results also suggest that in the CdS/CeO2 (1:1) composite the photoinduced electrons and holes can be effectively separated.