1-Dodecane-sulfonic-acid-sodium-salt(LAS) assisted hydrothermal synthesis of CdxZn1-xS solid solution as efficient photocatalysts under visible light irradiation

With anionic surfactant LAS assisted, series of zinc cadmium sulfide semiconductor photocatalysts were synthesized by hydrothermal method. These products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis absorption spectra (UV-Vis) and scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The photocatalytic activities of as-prepared samples were evaluated by photocatalytic hydrogen production from water under visible-light irradiation. The best synthesis parameters are: Composition 0.9:0.1 (Cd:Zn molar ratio), Temperature 160 deg. C, Hydrothermal Time 48 Hour, LAS Concentration 1.7 mmol/L, the maximum visible-light-catalytic hydrogen production rate is 161.25 μmol/h (λ>430 nm) which is higher than those of by coprecipitation method. The experiment results indicate that surfactant assisted hydrothermal method is an effective way to get highly active CdZnS solid solution photocatalyst.