Novel Low Temperature Route to Produce CdS/ZnO Composite Nanofibers as Effective Photocatalysts

Abstract

In this work, CdS/ZnO composite nanofibers (NFs) were prepared by the electrospinning of a sol–gel comprised of poly(caprolactone), zinc acetate dihydrate, cadmium acetate dihydrate, and ammonium sulfide. The electrospun NF mats were calcined under vacuum in an argon (Ar) atmosphere at 200 °C for 1 h. Standard physiochemical analysis techniques demonstrated the formation of the crystalline hexagonal phase of CdS and ZnO. Composite NFs showed good photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation compared to their counterparts. CdS nanoparticles, ZnO nanofibers, and composite NFs photodegraded 35.5%, 47.3%, and 90% of the MB dye, respectively, within 100 min. The reaction kinetics of MB photodegradation using the composite NFs followed the pseudo-first-order relation. Owing to their facile preparation and good photodegradation ability, the proposed method can be used to prepare various photocatalysts for wastewater treatment.

Hydrothermal-Assisted Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles-Decorated Titania Nanofibers for Methylene Blue Photodegradation and Catalyst for Sodium Borohydride Dehydrogenation

“…Based on its ease of use, cheap cost, high yield, and high efficiency, electrospinning stands out as the best method for producing NFs [ 25 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. As known, size and morphology have direct effects on the chemical and physical properties of materials.…”

Fabrication of heterojunction MnTiO3–TiO2-decorated carbon nanofibers via electrospinning as an effective multifunctional photocatalyst

“…Electrospinning is the most common technique to produce excellent nanofibers of inorganic and or- ganic components [30][31][32][33]. The calcination of produced electrospun nanofiber mats at high temperatures and inert atmosphere leads to a decrease in the decomposition rate of polymer while keeping the nanofibrous morphology intact [18,19,28,34].…”

Transition metal sulfides meet electrospinning: versatile synthesis, distinct properties and prospective applications

“…When CdS with a narrow band gap meets the semiconducting TiO 2 under visible light irradiation, electron transfer will occur from conduction band (CB) of photoexcited CdS to CB of TiO 2 , leading to an efficient electron-hole separation, which is also observed in other hybrid systems. [200][201][202][203][204][205][206][207][208][209][210][211][212] Then a high concentration of electrons in CB of TiO 2 and large amounts of holes in valence band (VB) of CdS are achieved. The electrons accumulated on TiO 2 can react with the oxygen molecules in the solution to produce •OH and superoxide radical anion (O 2 -), which can degrade the organic dyes effectively.…”