Fabrication of ternary zinc cadmium sulfide photocatalysts with highly visible-light photocatalytic activity

A series of ternary Zn0.2Cd0.8S photocatalysts were synthesized by a solvothermal method and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis). The photocatalytic reaction was carried out in a quartz reactor irradiated under a 300-W Xe lamp. The experimental results showed that the Zn0.2Cd0.8S photocatalysts exhibited a high photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of methylene blue. The effects of the thermal treatment of photocatalysts, the concentration of methylene blue aqueous solutions, and of the different sulfides in the preparation process on photocatalytic performance were also discussed.