title: Template-free synthesis of nanostructured Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S with tunable band structure for H2 production and organic dye degradation using solar light.
abstract: We have demonstrated a template-free large-scale synthesis of nanostructured Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S by a simple and a low-temperature solid-state method. Cadmium oxide, zinc oxide, and thiourea in various concentration ratios are homogenized at moderate temperature to obtain nanostructured Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S. We have also demonstrated that phase purity of the sample can be controlled with a simple adjustment of the amount of Zn content and nanocrystalline Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S(x = 0.5 and 0.9) of the hexagonal phase with 6-8 nm sized and 4-5 nm sized Cd(0.1)Zn(0.9)S of cubic phase can be easily obtained using this simple approach. UV-vis and PL spectrum indicate that the optical properties of as synthesized nanostructures can also be modulated by tuning their compositions. Considering the band gap of the nanostructured Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S well within the visible region, the photocatalytic activity for H2 generation using H2S and methylene blue dye degradation is performed under visible-light irradiation. The maximum H2 evolution of 8320 μmol h(-1)g(-1) is obtained using nanostructured Cd(0.1)Zn(0.9)S, which is four times higher than that of bulk CdS (2020 μmol h(-1) g(-1)) and the reported nanostructured CdS (5890 μmol h(-1)g(-1)). As synthesized Cd(0.9)Zn(0.1)S shows 2-fold enhancement in degradation of methylene blue as compared to the bulk CdS. It is noteworthy that the synthesis method adapted provides an easy, inexpensive, and pollution-free way to synthesize very tiny nanoparticles of Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S with a tunnable band structure on a large scale, which is quite difficult to obtain by other methods. More significantly, environmental benign enhanced H2 production from hazardous H2S using Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S is demonstrated for the first time.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Materials for Electronic Technology, Department of Electronics & Information Technology, DeitY, Govt of India, Panchawati, off Pashan Road, Pune 411008, India.
authors.forename: Sunil N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Garaje
authors.forename: Sanjay K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Apte
authors.forename: Sonali D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: Jalindar D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ambekar
authors.forename: Ravindra S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Sonawane
authors.forename: Milind V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: Ajayan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vinu
authors.forename: Bharat B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Kale
mesh_terms: D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013472:Sunlight; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D018036:Selenium Compounds; D017967:Zinc Compounds; D006859:Hydrogen