A new polymeric nanocomposite photocatalyst A15-CdS with large spherical beads (0.70-0.80 mm in diameter) was fabricated for efficient Rhodamine B (RhB) photodegradation with facile separation during cyclic runs,and photocorrosion,a congenital drawback of CdS,was successfully inhibited for A15-CdS.The nanocomposite catalyst was obtained by impregnating CdS nanoparticles within porous polymeric cation exchanger A15 through a facile inner-surface deposition.CdS nanoparticles (<20 nm) immobilized in A15 were deliberately distributed within an outside ring-like region of 40-50 m in depth,which is dominant for photoreaction because visible light is not expected to permeate through the inner region of nontransparent A15.As expected,efficient RhB photodegradation by A15-CdS was achieved under visible light irradiation,and large-size A15-CdS beads are expected to result in their facile separation from solution for repeated use.More significantly,negligible photocorrosion for the hybrid catalyst A15-CdS was demonstrated by the constant photodegradation efficiency and negligible CdS loss during five-cycle runs.The results indicated that nano-CdS immobilization within A15 would greatly improve the applicability of CdS nanoparticles in practical environmental remediation.
