Synthesis and characterization of bamboo-like CdS/TiO2 nanotubes composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

In order to efficiently use the visible light in the photocatalytic reaction, a novel bamboo-like CdS/TiO2 nanotubes composite was prepared by a facile chemical reduction method, in which CdS nanoparticles located in the TiO2 nanotubes. The composition and structure of this nanocomposite were characterized by TEM, HRTEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopy. This CdS/TiO2 nanotubes composite exhibited much higher visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue than pure TiO2 nanotubes and CdS nanoparticles, and the highest photodegradation efficiency after 6 h irradiation can reach 84.5%. It is inferred that the unique structure of CdS/TiO2 nanotubes composites acts an important role for the improvement of their photocatalytic activity