Uniformly dispersed CdS nanoparticles sensitized TiO2 nanotube arrays with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity and stability

•Intertube space, pore size were controlled by changing water content in electrolyte.•CdS nanoparticles were uniformly deposited onto the surface of TiO2 nanotubes.•The catalyst with Ti substrate used as a whole was very convenient for recycling.•Visible-light photocatalytic activity and stability were highly enhanced.

In this study, TiO2 nanotube arrays (TiO2-NTs) with various intertube spaces were fabricated in the electrolyte with different water contents and the CdS nanoparticles (CdS NPs) were further deposited onto the TiO2-NTs as a sensitizer via a sequential chemical bath deposition (S-CBD) method. The FE-SEM, TEM, XRD and XPS results demonstrated that the CdS NPs were uniformly deposited onto the surface of TiO2-NTs. It was found that higher water content in electrolyte was in favor of large intertube space and pore size and the uniform deposition of CdS NPs. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange was tested with the as-prepared CdS/TiO2-NTs under visible light (λ>400 nm). It was found that the photodegradation rate reached as high as 96.7% under visible irradiation for 180 min. In addition, a reasonable degradation rate of 75.8% was achieved even after 5 cycles, suggesting a good photocatalytic stability of the as-prepared CdS/TiO2-NTs.

Graphical abstractThe whole sheet of CdS NPs sensitized TiO2-NTs with the Ti subtract was used for degradation of methyl orange under visible light (λ>400 nm) on a XPA-7 photochemical reactor.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide