TY  - EJOU
AU  - Guan, Hao 
AU  - Wang, Zicheng 
AU  - Dai, Ruiyang 
AU  - Dai, Tao 

TI  - Photocatalytic Performance of Kaolin/Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub> Composite Synthesized via Solvothermal Route
T2  - Chalcogenide Letters

PY  - 2026
VL  - 23
IS  - 2
SN  - 1584-8663

AB  - Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub> (CCTS) has positioned itself as an efficient option used as a photocatalyst, while kaolin is an ideal catalyst carrier material. In the study, kaolin/Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub> composite catalyst is effectively synthesized by a one-step solvothermal route and applied to remove methylene blue (MB), a typical pollutant in the textile industry. The structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties of the composite catalyst are characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, PL, etc. The results show that a pure kaolin/Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub> composite is obtained. The flower-like structure of Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub> exhibits higher photocatalytic activity due to its relatively large specific surface area, while kaolin creates an ideal carrier. The band gap of the as-obtained kaolin/Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub> composite is estimated to be 1.69 eV. MB’s degradation efficiency under simulated solar light irradiation is around 94% within 100 min, with a high rate constant of 0.03 min<sup>−1</sup>. The recyclability and stability of the composite are investigated. Eventually, the mechanism of photocatalysis was explained. This study depicts that kaolin/Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub> composite is a potential material for effective solar light photocatalytic application.
KW  - Cu<sub>2</sub>CdSnS<sub>4</sub>; kaolin; solvothermal; photocatalytic

DO  - 10.32604/cl.2026.075941