P-Nitrophenol Degradation Using N-Doped Reduced Graphene-CdS Nanocomposites

A series of nitrogen doped reduce graphene-CdS (NRGC) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by using hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and PL. Photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites for removing P-nitrophenol (PNP) pollutant was studied under both ultra-violet (UV) and visible light irradiation. The results show that NRGC nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than pure CdS. The degradation rate significantly increased to 50 and 70% by the addition of nitrogen doped reduced grapheme oxide (NRGO) to CdS under UV and visible irradiation, respectively. Higher photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites was due to the role of NRGO as an excellent electron acceptor and transporter.