Solvothermal synthesis and photocatalytic properties of CdS nanowires under UV and visible irradiation

CdS nanowires (NWs) were synthesized by the solvothermal method. The synthesis yields NWs with hexagonal phase structure. The phase, vibration modes, morphologies and optical properties of CdS NWs were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrophotometry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and UV–visible spectroscopy, respectively. The results show that the as-synthesized product is hexagonal CdS NWs with the diameter of 20–30 nm and length of up to 5 μm. Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RhB) was investigated. It was found that CdS NWs possess excellent catalytic degradation activity owing to their effective absorption over the visible range. The highly photocatalytic activity suggested possible application in the treatment of organic pollutants under visible light irradiation.