Effective Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange Utilizing ZnS/TiO2/Chitosan Films under Simulated Solar Irradiation

ZnS/TiO2/Chitosan nanocomposite thin films were prepared by entrapping zinc ions and nanosized TiO2 in chitosan films under mild conditions. The surface structure and morphology of the film were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Methyl Orange was selected to evaluate the photocatalytic activity under simulated solar irradiation. The HRTEM results show that TiO2 and ZnS were dispersed uniformly with diameters of 20-30 nm. The prepared film exhibits high photocatalytic activities. About 93.5% Methyl Orange(3.6 x 10(-5) mol/L) were photodegraded by 0.6 g L-1 photocatalyst at pH 4.0 with 120 min irradiation. The influence of the reaction pH, stability and reusability of the film have also been investigated. It can be developed as a economically feasible and environmentally friendly photocatalyst for the practical industrial waste water treatment.