Visible Light-Active CdS/TiO2 Hybrid Nanoparticles Immobilized on Polyacrylonitrile Membranes for the Photodegradation of Dyes in Water

Reusable photocatalytic polyacrylonitrile membrane-supported cadmium sulphide/titanium dioxide hybrid nanoparticles (CdS/TiO2-PAN) were prepared using a dry-wet phase inversion technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the photocatalytic membranes had a porous sublayer, a compact top layer, and that, some of the nanoparticles were not encapsulated by the membranes. The average crystallite sizes of the CdS, TiO2, and CdS/TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles were 3.41 nm, 10.47 nm, and 12.17 nm, respectively. The combination of CdS and TiO2 nanoparticles led to a red shift (band gap; ca. 2.6 eV) of the absorption band and extended the optical absorption spectrum into the visible region relative to TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of CdS/TiO2-PAN membranes was explored in the degradation of methylene blue dye under visible light irradiation, and the results revealed that the best photocatalytic performance was achieved by 0.1 g CdS/TiO2-PAN photocatalytic membrane with 5% loading of the CdS/TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles, which degraded 66.29% of methylene blue in 210 minutes at 25°C and pH 8.5. It was found that the optimum loading of nanoparticles in the membranes was 0.1 g. All the photocatalytic membranes showed an insignificant decrease in the photocatalytic activity when used repeatedly. According to literature, CdS/TiO2-PAN photocatalytic membranes have not been prepared before for the purpose of treating simulated wastewater.