Microwave Assisted Synthesis of CdS Sub-microspheres for Degradation of Chlorophenols under Solar Light Irradiation

Abstract: CdS sub-microspheres were prepared by using microwave-assisted method in this work. The prepared CdS sub-microspheres were characterized by various analytical techniques. The XRD result revealed that the CdS samples have mixed phases of cubic and hexagonal crystal structure. UV-DRS measurement has been used to investigate the optical properties of CdS sub-microspheres, which indicate that they possess a band gap of 2.4 eV. XPS and EDS data proved the stoichiometry of CdS sub-microspheres. In addition, SEM images showed the morphology of the CdS sub-microspheres. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of the prepared CdS sub-microspheres was examined by the degradation of toxic chlorophenols wastewater pollutants which are 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP. The CdS sub-microspheres exhibit an excellent photocatalytic performance in which they degrade around 70%, 90% of 2,4-DCP and 2,4,6-TCP within 240 min under the irradiation of solar light, respectively.