Impact of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes on Photocatalytic Response of Cadmium Oxide Nanocomposites for Water Pollutants

In this study, we are reporting photocatalytic response of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/cadmium oxide (CdO) nanocomposites. We dispersed MWCNT (1-5 wt%) into CdO system via sonication to obtain MWCNT/CdO nanocomposites. The methylene blue (MB) dye has been used as a photocatalytic probe to study response of degradation with respect to contact reaction time, effect of pH, temperature, and concentration of MWCNT into the CdO system. The optimum values are acquired at pH value of 6 and temperature range 50-60 degrees C for all composition of the catalysts. The intrinsic characteristics of resulting composites have been studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR analysis, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. It has been found that the as-prepared MWCNT/CdO nanocomposites possess dye absorptivity of 97.85%, significantly higher than the 64.85% observed for pristine CdO at a contact time of 75 min. Additionally, these nanocomposites exhibited an extended light absorption range and improved charge separation efficiency. The photodegradation of methylene blue shows significant enhancement in the reaction rate which reaches up to 0.058 min(-)1 for the MWCNT/CdO composites, compared to 0.0189 min(-)1 for the pristine CdO system.