ZnCr layered double hydroxide nanoplate-decorated CdS nanowire with excellent photocatalytic activity for removing Cr(VI) in wastewater

CdS/ZnCr layered double hydroxide (CdS/ZCL) was prepared in situ through a simple hydrothermal method and proved to be an efficient photocatalyst for removing Cr(VI) in wastewater. Structural characterization shows that ZCL nanoplates uniformly grow on the surface of CdS nanowires. Cr(VI) in the simulated wastewater can be completely removed within 30 min under visible-light illumination, using CdS/ZCL as the catalyst. The reduction rate is much faster than many other catalysts reported recently and calculated to be 3.1 and 60.3 times that of CdS and ZCL, respectively. The excellent catalytic performance of CdS/ZCL is ascribed to the synergy between CdS and ZCL. More importantly, CdS/ZCL also performs well in the photocatalytic degradation of some organic contaminants in wastewater. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.