Photocatalytic property of TiO2 sensitized by different crystal phase CdS

TiO₂ samples sensitized by different crystal phase CdS (CT) are synthesized by hydrothermal process at different reaction temperature. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance (UV-Vis). The XRD result reveals that the crystal phase of CdS is transformed from cubic phase to hexagonal phase with the increase of hydrothermal reaction temperature (120–160 °C). The absorption edge of CT is extended from 498 nm to 546 nm. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamin B (RhB) in aqueous solution is used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of CT. With the increase of the preparation temperature, the photocatalytic activity of CT becomes stronger. The degradation rate of RhB by CdS/TiO₂ at 160 °C (CT-160 °C) reaches 78%.