Ultrasound exfoliation of g-C3N4 with assistance of cadmium ions and synthesis of CdS/g-C3N4 ultrathin nanosheets with efficient photocatalytic activity

Abstract Cadmium-assisted ultrasound exfoliation was used to synthesize CdS/g-C 3 N 4 ultrathin nanosheet catalysts with visible-light photocatalytic activity. The samples showed enhanced photocatalytic performance. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy confirmed the synthesized CdS/g-C 3 N 4 ultrathin nanosheets. The photocurrent intensity and degradation of methyl orange (MO) of ultrathin CdS/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst were 2 and 1.4 times higher than those of CdS/g-C 3 N 4 nanocomposite obtained via ultrasound exfoliation without assistance of cadmium ion. These results were due to the well-matched band structure and close contact interfaces between the g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets and CdS, which resulted in the effective transfer and separation of the photogenerated charge carriers. The mechanism for the photodegradation of MO by ultrathin CdS/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst was also investigated.