Combustion synthesis and photocatalytic properties of magnetically separable Zn1−xCdxS/γ-Fe2O3 composites

Magnetically separable Zn 1− x Cd x S/γ-Fe 2 O 3 ( x =0–1) photocatalysts were synthesized by a one-step combustion method. The structures, morphologies, absorbance, optical and photocatalytic properties of the samples were studied by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy , ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry and photoluminescence . The experimental results show that the formation of hexagonal Zn 1− x Cd x S and γ-Fe 2 O 3 and the combination of them were one-pot achieved. The Cd 2+ content has a significant influence on the absorbance of visible light and fluorescence properties. The magnetic properties of samples ensure the magnetic separation by using a magnet. CdS/γ-Fe 2 O 3 shows the best photocatalytic performance compared with other samples, ascribed to its small energy band gap and matching energy band structure between CdS and γ-Fe 2 O 3 . Moreover, no obvious deterioration was observed in the stability tests.