Fullerene modification CdSe/TiO2 and modification of photocatalytic activity under visible light

CdSe, CdSe-TiO2, and CdSe-C60/TiO2 composites were prepared using sol-gel method, and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by measuring the degradation of rhodamine B solutions under visible light. The surface area, surface structure, crystal phase, and elemental identification of these composites were characterized by nitrogen adsorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and UV-visible (vis) absorption spectrophotometry. XRD showed that the CdSe-C60/TiO2 composite contained a typical single and clear anatase phase. SEM of the CdSe-C60/TiO2 composites revealed a homogenous composition in the particles. EDX revealed the presence of C and Ti with strong Cd and Se peaks in the CdSe-C60/TiO2 composite. The degradation of dye was determined by UV-vis spectrophotometry. An increase in photocatalytic activity was observed and attributed to an increase in the photoabsorption effect by fullerene and the cooperative effect of the CdSe. The repeatability of photocatalytic activity was also tested in order to investigate the stability of C60 and CdS-C60/TiO2 composites.