Synthesis of Immobilized CdS/TiO.sub.2 Nanofiber Heterostructure Photocatalyst for Efficient Degradation of Toluene

• Published in: Water, air, and soil pollution Vol. 231; no. 3
• Main Authors: Zhang, Mengmeng, Liu, Meng, Jiang, Yan, Li, Jingying, Chen, Qinghua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 01.03.2020
• Subjects: Optical properties; Toluene
• ISSN: 0049-6979; 1573-2932
• DOI: 10.1007/s11270-020-4461-x

The immobilized CdS/TiO.sub.2 nanofiber (CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF) heterostructure photocatalyst was fabricated via anodic oxidation and cyclic impregnation method. The microstructure of CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF was characterized by SEM and TEM. The components of CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF were identified by EDX, XPS, and Raman. The optical properties of CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF were characterized by UV-vis DRS and PL. Results showed that CdS was loaded on the surface of TiO.sub.2 NF in the form of particles with a diameter of about 10-80 nm. The Cd and S elements were detected on the surface of catalyst. CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF improved the absorption performance in the ultraviolet and visible light regions and reduced the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The performance of CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF on degrading toluene was investigated. Results showed that the deposition of CdS enhanced the photocatalytic activity of TiO.sub.2 NF. The toluene concentration, catalyst dosage, and flow rate had marked impact on the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of toluene. In this reaction system, the degradation ratio was 80.71% when the toluene concentration was 13 mg·L.sup.-1, the photocatalyst area was 32 cm.sup.2, the flow rate was 3 L·min.sup.-1, and the illumination time was 100 min. The mineralization ratio after photocatalytic reaction for 100 min was about 45.02%. The immobilized CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF photocatalyst is easy to be recycled, which can reduce the energy and material cost. This work not only highlights the intrinsical role of CdS materials in the enhanced photocatalytic performance of TiO.sub.2 NF but also provides significant guidance on fabricating immobilized CdS/TiO.sub.2 NF photocatalyst applied in environment remediation.