Efficient Charge Transfer in Heterostructures of CdS/NaTaO₃ with Improved Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic...

Photocatalyst NaTaO₃ with a cube-shaped morphology and an average particle size of 100 nm was synthesized using an effortless hydrothermal method. The composite heterostructures of CdS/NaTaO₃ with variable concentrations of CdS were fabricated after the surface functionalization of bare NaTaO₃ using 3-mercaptopropionic acid. As-synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy, field-emission scanning and transmission electron microscopies with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy furnished with elemental mapping, multipoint Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Average lifetime (τ_avg) of photoexcitons in heterostructures was studied using photoluminescence (PL) empowered with the time-correlated single-photon counting technique. The diminishing PL peak intensity and reduced average lifetime (τ_avg) of photoexcitons in heterostructures indicate the inhibition of photoexciton recombination along with efficient photoexciton exchange between heterostructures. As-synthesized heterostructures demonstrate enhanced visible-light harvesting and appreciably increased the photocatalytic performance toward the degradation of dye rhodamine B. This work highlights the importance of heterostructures with new archetypes which may provide a lead to develop highly capable and reusable photocatalysts to organic dye degradation.