Dual S-Scheme Heterojunction CdS/TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Production and Dye Degradation Applications

[Image: see text] This study investigated a ternary CdS/TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) heterojunction for degrading synthetic dyes and hydrogen production from aqueous media through visible light-initiated photocatalytic reactions. CdS, TiO(2), and g-C(3)N(4) were combined in different mass ratios through a simple hydrothermal method to create CdS/TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) composite photocatalysts. The prepared heterojunction catalysts were investigated by using FTIR, XRD, EDX, SEM, and UV–visible spectroscopy analysis for their crystal structures, functional groups, elemental composition, microtopography, and optical properties. The rhodamine B dye was then degraded by using fully characterized photocatalysts. The maximum dye degradation efficiency of 99.4% was noted in these experiments. The evolution rate of hydrogen from the aqueous solution with the CdS/TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) photocatalyst remained 2910 μmol·h(–1)·g(–1), which is considerably higher than those of g-C(3)N(4), CdS, CdS/g-C(3)N(4), and g-C(3)N(4)/TiO(2)-catalyzed reactions. This study also proposes a photocatalytic activity mechanism for the tested ternary CdS/TiO(2)/g-C(3)N(4) heterojunctions.