Synthesis of self-assembled CdS nanospheres and their photocatalytic activities by photodegradation of organic dye molecules

•Large scale CdS nanospheres are synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route.•The as- prepared CdS nanospheres exhibit superior photocatalytic activities.•It demonstrates potential applications in removal of organic dye molecules.

In this paper, large scale CdS nanospheres are synthesized via a facile and effective hydrothermal route. Through an inspection of the morphologies under various growth conditions, a possible growth mechanism for CdS nanospheres was proposed, which involves a nuclei aggregation and an Ostwald ripening process. The as- prepared CdS nanospheres exhibit superior photocatalytic activities by the photodegradation of eosin red, Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation, with a comparison with the other CdS nanostructures, P25 and α-Fe2O3 powders. It demonstrates potential applications in removal of organic dye molecules from waste water.

Graphical abstractLarge scale CdS nanospheres are synthesized via a facile and effective hydrothermal route. CdS nanospheres exhibit superior photocatalytic activities by the photodegradation of eosin red, Congo red and methylene blue under visible light irradiation, demonstrating potential applications in removal of organic dye molecules from waste water.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide