Mechanochemical synthesis of CdS/MgAl LDH-precursor as improved visible-light driven photocatalyst for organic dye

CdS/Mg-Al LDH-precursor composites were synthesized by a mechanochemical method. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of the CdS/Mg-Al LDH-precursor composites. SEM-EDS analysis demonstrated the uniform distribution of CdS nanoparticles among LDH-precursor matrix. The obtained nanocomposites exhibited much higher photocatalytic activities on methylene blue (MB) degradation under visible light irradiation. The high photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to the special structure of the wide-distribution of CdS nanoparticles within LDH-precursor matrix. A detailed investigation on the mechanism and the reaction kinetics for the photocatalytic process were also performed. This work provides a very simple and environment-friendly way to prepare a series of photocatalysts based on LDH-precursor with transition metal sulfide well dispersed inside.