Hydrothermal synthesis of CdS microparticles–graphene hybrid and its optical properties

Abstract

A reduced graphene oxide–CdS microparticles (RGO–CdS) hybrid was prepared through a one-pot hydrothermal method in which graphene oxide (GO) served as the support and cadmium chloride as the starting material. GO was reduced to RGO during a hydrothermal reaction. The morphology, structure characterization, and crystal structure of the as-prepared hybrid were performed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was shown that in the composite, the CdS microparticles were dispersed uniformly in the RGO sheet, and the addition of GO did not influence the crystal structure of the hexagonal phase CdS. The as-prepared RGO–CdS hybrid shows efficient fluorescent features due to the size effect of the CdS microparticles. By combining the unique properties of RGO and CdS microparticles, the strategy presented in this study is expected to be useful to prepare highly efficient graphene-based hybrids for potential applications in various fields.