Synthesis, structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of CdS/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles

Abstract CdS, ZnS and CdS/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via two-step synthesis method. The as-prepared CdS, ZnS and CdS/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles were used to study the structural, morphological, and optical properties by PXRD, TEM, HRTEM, UV–vis spectroscopy, N 2 adsorption-desorption, FT-IR, PL and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The XRD pattern confirms the crystal structure of the prepared ZnS, CdS, and CdS/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles. The crystallinity of the as-prepared samples is confirmed by PXRD, TEM and HRTEM analysis. The BET analysis showed that the CdS/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles had larger surface area and pore diameter than CdS and ZnS. The Raman and FT-IR spectra confirm the fundamental vibrational modes of CdS and ZnS respectively. Compared to pure CdS and ZnS, CdS/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles exhibited higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO). The enhancement of photocatalytic activity in the CdS/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles is due to the interface actions between CdS and ZnS, which greatly reduces the recombination of photogenerated electrons-holes pair. The proposed mechanism for degradation of MO dye is discussed in detail.