Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis, growth mechanism and photocatalytic properties of pancake-like Cd(OH)2 superstructures

Novel pancake-like Cd(OH)(2) superstructures have been prepared via a facile and rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, employing cadmium acetate and hydrazine hydrate as the starting materials in a mixed medium of water and glycerol. Several influencing factors, such as the volume of hydrazine hydrate and glycerol, the reaction time, temperature and cadmium source, were found to play important roles in the formation of the Cd(OH)(2) multilayer stacked structures. Experiments suggested that the layer-by-layer self-assembly of nanosheets is responsible for the formation of these superstructures. Moreover, the as-obtained Cd(OH)(2) superstructures show an enhanced photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of rhodamine B (RhB) under basic conditions.