Radiation synthesis of CdS/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminant

CdS/reduced graphene oxide (CdS/RGO) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized via a one-step gamma-ray radiation-induced reduction method. The composition and structure of the prepared nanocomposites were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis, micro FTIR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that increasing dose could improve the degree of reduction of graphite oxide (GO), and the feed ratio of GO to CdCl2·2.5H2O significantly influenced the size and dispersion of the CdS nanoparticles. The nanocomposites prepared under dose of 300 kGy and the feed ratio of GO to CdCl2·2.5H2O 1.0 wt% exhibited high visible-light photocatalytic performance for the degradation of Rhodamine B with degradation efficiency of 93%. This work provides a novel and facile method to produce the nanocomposites as efficient photocatalysts for the removal of organic contaminants from aqueous solution.