Synthesis of homogeneous one-dimensional Ni x Cd1−x S nanorods with enhanced visible-light response by ethanediamine-assisted decomposition of complex precursors

A route to fabricate the homogeneous one-dimensional (1D) NixCd1−xS nanorods (NRs) photocatalysts is designed with ethanediamine-assisted decomposition of NixCd1−x (DDTC)2 complex precursors. This route developed NixCd1−x (DDTC)2 complex precursors by co-precipitation method at room temperature condition. The effects of Ni2+ doped into CdS lattice on the length and photocatalytic performance of the NixCd1−xS NRs have been investigated in detail. It is found that doping of Ni2+ significantly affects the aspect ratio of 1D NixCd1−xS NRs. With the increasing doping concentration of Ni2+, the length of as-obtained NixCd1−xS NRs becomes shorter. In addition, their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B dye as a probe reaction under visible-light irradiation. The results show that the optimal Ni2+ addition shows efficient photocatalytic performance and excellent photo stability, which may result from Ni2+ lattice doping. A tentative photocatalytic mechanism of 1D NixCd1−xS NRs is proposed for further explanation of photocatalytic performance.