Plasma-derived in situ complexation-assisted precipitation for the fabrication of supported Zn-doped CdS, for water depollution.

[Display omitted] • An ISCAP process was used to obtain Zn-doped CdS NPs in situ on a polymer substrate. • Supported photocatalysts with fractal supports were tested through RhB degradation. • Supported Zn-doped CdS was found to be photostable, with good recyclability. • PVPA, the binder, displayed a protective effect on the immobilized CdS catalyst. In this study, we explore the potential of an innovative method based on cold plasma discharge (CPD), to fabricate stable supported photocatalysts for the photodegradation of organic water pollutants. Supported catalysts bear significant advantages compared to colloidal ones, the main benefit being that they can be separated from water and reused much more easily, which is a crucial aspect especially of nanocompounds. They can also participate in reducing catalyst loss between operations or even enable continuous-flow processes, usually more productive than batch, discontinued operations. Hereby, we describe an immobilization approach, i.e. in situ complexation-assisted precipitation (ISCAP), which allows the fabrication of nanoCdS photocatalyst, directly at the surface of a polymer substrate. More specifically, we establish the potential of this process to obtain a hybrid coating of zinc-doped CdS, in situ. Our findings revealed that the resulting supported catalyst was photoactive – degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) dye, easily recyclable and photostable thanks to the successful doping of the catalytic phase. In addition, it seems that the immobilization itself stabilized the catalyst, probably thanks to polyvinylphosphonic acid (PVPA), used as a complexing and binding agent. The catalytic phase was immobilized on a resin substrate that was fabricated by liquid crystal diode (LCD) 3D printing, and conceived using fractal-inspired geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]