Sun/UV-light driven photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B dye by Zn doped CdS nanostructures as photocatalyst

The optical and electronic properties of semiconducting materials are modified by the doping of suitable elements. Pure and Zn doped (1%, 3%, 5% and 7%) CdS nanostructures are synthesized by facile, one-pot solvothermal method. The synthesized materials are characterized using different characterization techniques. The XRD results revealed that the synthesized nanostructures have both, cubic and hexagonal crystalline phases. The optical band gap is increased with the increase of Zn content in the CdS matrix. The change in absorption and emission features with doping has made the doped materials suitable for photocatalytic applications under sun light and ultra-violet (UV) irradiation. The pure and Zn doped CdS nanostructures are used for photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under UV and sun light irradiation. The Zn (3%) doped CdS nanostructures show better photocatalytic degradation (93%) of RhB under sun light irradiation. It could be due to the combined effects of the shifting in energy levels and change in shape and size of the nanostructures with doping.