SYNTHESIS AND STUDY OF PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITIES OF CdZnS AND CdZnAl-LDH/POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES

Cadmium zinc aluminum layered double hydroxides (CdZnAl-LDH) were synthesized by urea hydrolysis and co-precipitation method in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution. Cadmium - zinc sulfide (CdZnS) nanoparticles were synthesized on the obtained nanocomposites by the direct sulfidation method both at room temperature (250C) and 400C, and the photocatalytic degradation was studied for the removing of m-cresol from aqueous solutions under visible light. Ultraviolet (UV) spectra, X-ray diffractograms (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the obtained nanocomposites were characterizated and the average size of nanoparticles was determined according to the Scherrer formula. The average crystallite size of CdZnAl-LDH/PVA, CdZnS@CdZnAl-LDH/PVA (250C), and CdZnS@CdZnAl-LDH/PVA (400C) nanocomposites is 14.25 nm, 19.05 nm and 16.5 nm, respectively. It was found that the degree of photocatalytic degradation of m-cresol from water was 18% with CdZnAl-LIH/PVA, 25% with CdZnS@CdZnAl-LIH/PVA (250C), CdZnS@CdZnAl-LIH/PVA (40°C) is 29% under visible light for 3 hours