CoFe_2O_4/CdS nanocomposite:Preparation,characterisation,and application in sonocatalytic degradation of organic dye pollutants

A magnetic CoFe2O4/Cd S nanocomposite was prepared via one-step hydrothermal decomposition of cadmium diethanoldithiocarbamate complex on the surface of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles at a low temperature of 200 ℃.The nanocomposite was characterised by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）,scanning electron microscopy,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDX）,UV-visible spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy（TEM）,N2 gas sorption analysis,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）,and vibrating sample magnetometry.The FT-IR,XRD,EDX and XPS results confirmed the formation of the CoFe2O4/Cd S nanocomposite.Based on the TEM analysis,the CoFe2O4/Cd S nanocomposite constituted nearly uniform,sphere-like nanoparticles of ～20 nm in size.The optical absorption spectrum of the CoFe2O4/Cd S nanocomposite displayed a band gap of 2.21 e V,which made it a suitable candidate for application in sono/photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.Accordingly,the sonocatalytic activity of the CoFe2O4/Cd S nanocomposite was evaluated towards the H2O2-assisted degradation of methylene blue,rhodamine B,and methyl orange under ultrasonic irradiation.The nanocomposite displayed excellent sonocatalytic activity towards the degradation of all dyes examined—the dyes were completely decomposed within 5–9 min.Furthermore,a comparison study revealed that the CoFe2O4/Cd S nanocomposite is a more efficient sonocatalyst than pure Cd S;thus,adopting the nanocomposite approach is an excellent means to improve the sonoactivity of Cd S.Moreover,the magnetic properties displayed by the CoFe2O4/Cd S nanocomposite allow easy retrieval of the catalyst from the reaction mixture for subsequent uses.

Photorefractive Effect in a CdS Nanoparticlessensitized Polymer Composite

The photorefractive （PR） performance of an organic/inorganic hybrid polymer composite sensitized by CdS nanoparticles, combining poly（N-vinylcarbazole） （PVK）, the second-order optically nonlinear chromophore 1-n-butoxy-2-methyl-（4-p-nitropheylazo）benzene （BMNPAB） and 9-ethylcarbazole （ECZ） was studied. It was confirmed that the CdS colloidal particles had a nanoscale size and quantum confinement effect adopting transmission electron microscopy and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The addition of CdS nanoparticles as a photosensitizer in PVK will be significant enhancement of photoconductivity because of the high photocharge generation quantum efficiency and high charge transport to conducting polymer. The polymer composite film exhibited PR effect with a method of two-beam coupling experiment. And an asymmetric two. beam coupling gain of 45.8 cm^-1 without applied electric filed is obtained at 632.8 nm wavelength.

High Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of 3,7-Bis(Dimethylamino)-Phenothiazin-5-Ium Chloride Dye and Kinetics of H2 Evolution of N2H4H2O by Synthesized CdS/NiS Nanocomposite by Electrochemical Method

CdS/NiS nanocomposites were synthesized by electrochemical method. Ni and Cd is one of the important II-VI semiconducting materials with a direct band gap of 3.26 eV which finds applications in electrical conductivity and photo-catalysis. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by BET, UV-VIS, XRD, FE-SEM (EDAX) techniques. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) reveals crystallite size to be 23.22 nm which was calculated using Williamson-Hall (W-H) plot method. The energy of the band gap for CdS/NiS could be thus estimated to be 3.26 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the sample was evaluated by the degradation of textile dye methylene Blue (MB) in aqueous solutions under UV radiation. Hydrogen energy is regarded as a promising alternative in terms of energy conversion and storage. Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) was carried out in both visible light and UV light by using Hydrazine (N2H4H2O) in the presence of CdS/NiS nanocomposite. The synthesized photocatalyst shows applicable performance for kinetics of Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) in Visible light and UV light. The decomposition of hydrazine (N2H4H2O) proceeded rapidly to generate free hydrogen rich gas through OH radical contact with CdS/NiS nanocomposite at room temperature. The rate of HER is limited by either proton adsorption onto an active site or evolution of formed hydrogen from the surface. A high Tafel slope is indicative of proton adsorption as the rate limiting step, while a lower Tafel slope (20 - 45 mV) indicates that the evolution of molecules hydrogen from the catalyst is rate limiting. In the present case the Tafel slopes for visible light 23.5 mV and 42.5 mV for UV light. Blank experiments show poor activity for HER i.e. 10.1 - 13.5 mV.