Degradation of Safranin by a ZnO/CdS Photocatalyst under LED Light

• Published in: Malaysian Journal of Chemistry
• Main Author: Mashuri S.I.S.; Hamid F.S.N.; Abidin I.S.Z.; Chayed N.F.; Chin L.Y.; Seenivasagam S.; Kaus N.H.M.; Hamzah N.; Ibrahim M.L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malaysian Institute of Chemistry 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85201924036&doi=10.55373%2fmjchem.v26i4.39&partnerID=40&md5=187040f53a5b6dd4bb83dfa9734896d0

A ZnO/CdS photocatalyst was prepared using the sol-gel synthesis technique. The performance of the photocatalyst was evaluated using a Safranin solution assisted by 21-Watt LED visible light. The ZnO/CdS was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible-near-Infrared spectrophotometry (UV-Vis-NIR). This study found that the band gap of ZnO was successfully modified from 3.30 eV to 2.46 eV by combining it with CdS in a composite photocatalyst. The ZnO/CdS photocatalyst exhibited excellent crystallinity and formed a morphology similar to coral as a result of its very intricate three-dimensional geometric structure. The photocatalytic degradation displayed a remarkable level of activity, influenced by operational parameters including the initial concentration, pH of the safranin solution, and the amount of catalyst. The ZnO/CdS photocatalyst destroyed up to 100 % of the safranin dye solution within 120 min of reaction time using 0.5 g of ZnO/CdS photocatalyst and 300 mL of 5 mg/L of safranin solution, at pH 9. ZnO/CdS has potential as a highly efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants, particularly safranin solution, under LED visible light irradiation. © 2024 Malaysian Institute of Chemistry. All rights reserved.