Photocatalytic activity of CdS nanoparticles synthesized by a facile composite molten salt method

Single-crystalline CdS nanoparticles were synthesized for the first time by the composite-molten-salt (CMS) method, with advantages of one-step, ambient pressure, low temperature, template-free and low cost. The influence of temperature, growth time and amount of salts on the morphology of CdS nanoparticles was systematically investigated. It shows that a smaller size of CdS nanoparticles can be obtained under lower temperature, less growth time and more composite salts. UV-vis reflection spectrum of the nanoparticles reveals that the nanoparticles have a bandgap of 2.34 eV. Photoluminescence spectrum was also carried out to explore its optical property. Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) in presence of the CdS nanoparticles was compared with that in presence of the commercial TiO2 nanoparticles under the simulated sunlight.

► CdS nanoparticles with clean surface have been obtained for the first time by the CMS approach. ► The influence of temperature, time and amount of salts on the size was systematically investigated. ► High photocatalystic activity of the CdS nanoparticles for degradation of RhB and MB was found.