Effect of morphology transformation on photocatalytic performance of CdS crystal

In this study, multi-shaped CdS was synthesized by hydro- and solvothermal methods. Interestingly, the results of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that branch-like CdS could be transformed into ball-like and flake-like in deionized water by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and l-cysteine, respectively, and the growth mechanism of CdS was discussed and explored: the ion-binding rate might be the main factor for the morphology transformation of CdS. X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy revealed branch-like CdS which exhibited the hexagonal phase. Besides, the optical characteristics of CdS were performed by ultraviolet–visible and photoluminescence spectrum. Also, CdS was utilized to explore the photocatalytic activity of rhodamine B, and the result showed that the photocatalytic activity of ball-like CdS was higher than flake-like and branch-like CdS.