Synthesis and Characterization of visible light activated nanoparticles for the

photocatalytic degradation of toxic organic compounds

Abstract
Recently, semiconductor photocatalysts have been widely used in the field of environmental
protection due to their particular advantages in decomposing organic contaminants into water,
carbon dioxide, and mineral acids. However, large band gap energy of the majority of
photocatalysts is a critical limitation that prevents them from being widely used in practical
applications under solar light. Therefore, further advancements in photocatalysis are required
for the development of visible light-activated photocatalysts. In the present work, an attempt
has been taken to develop heterostructure CdS/WO3 nanocomposite (NCs) as an efficient
photocatalyst for the degradation of organic contaminants under visible light illumination. The
CdS/WO3 nanocomposite was synthesized using a two-step approach, which included first the
synthesis of WO3 by precipitation method and second the synthesis of heterojunction CdS/WO 3
by hydrothermal method. The nanocomposites CdS/WO3 were characterized using a variety of
techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was evaluated by the degradation of
methyl orange dye under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 10
wt% CdS/WO3 NCs was much higher than that of the reference CdS and WO 3. As a result, it can
be concluded that the CdS/WO3 heterostructure photocatalyst would be an excellent candidate
for application in wastewater treatment.
Keywords: Photocatalyst, CdS/WO3 nanocomposites, visible light; degradation efficiency,
hydrothermal; dyes.