Bi4Ti3O12/CdS Nanocomposites Enhance the Photocatalytic Degradation Performance

Semiconductor materials used in the field of photocatalysis have been attracting much attention. Due to the advantages of green, pollution-free and sustainable development of solar energy, it is an ideal strategy to explore excellent semiconductor materials as high light photocatalysts for energy conversion. Herein, Bi4Ti3O12/CdS composites were synthetized by coprecipitation method, which CdS particles selectively deposited on Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets. The phase structure and optical properties of the samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, N-2 adsorption-desorption and UV-visible diffuse spectra (UV-DRS). The results showed that the Bi4Ti3O12/CdS composites had the highest photocatalytic activity against RhB under visible light, and the degradation rate of RhB was 98.8% after 120min of simulated light, 2.14 times that of pure Bi4Ti3O12, and the Bi4Ti3O12/CdS-10wt.% composites also showed good stability. UV-DRS demonstrated that the optical absorption range of the composite extends to visible regions, and photocurrent tests also showed that the composite enhances the separation and migration of photoogenic electron-hole pairs, mainly due to the formation of 2D nanosheets/0D particles heterojunctions between the bronzn CdS of the perovskite BTO and hexagonal fibers. Furthermore, free radical assays confirmed that both center dot O-2(-), h(+) and center dot OH have effects in the degradation of RhB, and thus suggested a possible mechanism for the photodegradation process of the Bi4Ti3O12/CdS-10wt.% composite photocatalyst.