Facile synthesis of CdS nanorods with enhanced photocatalytic activity

A simple wet chemical method has been employed to obtain CdS nanorods with the assistance of thioglycollic acid. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and UV–vis diffuse reflection spectrum (UV). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in an aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The effects of thioglycollic acid on the morphology and photocatalytic activity were investigated. The results suggest that thioglycollic acid plays an important role in the formation of CdS nanorods. Moreover, the as-synthesized CdS nanorods assisted by thioglycollic acid displayed an excellent photocatalytic performance with a degradation rate of 93% within 40 min under UV light irradiation, even higher than that of commericial CdS. The excellent photocatalytic ability of CdS nanorods can be attributed to the synergic effects of large surface area and unique nanorods structure. With the help of scavengers, ·O2− was proved to be the main reactive species for the degradation of methyl orange.