Controllable preparation, formation mechanism and photocatalytic performance of copper base sulfide nanoparticles

In this paper, copper base sulfide nanoparticles (Cu2S, CuS, CuO/Cu2O/Cu2S, Cu2S/CuS, CuS/S) were synthesized in polyethylene glycol (PEG)-400 by a one-step method and by tuning the molar ratios of Cu:S (1:0.1–1:3) with copper acetate and sublimed sulfur as sources. The interaction of elemental sulfur with copper ion in PEG was analyzed in detail to elucidate the formation mechanism. With the change of the molar ratio of copper to sulfur, the products exhibit a variety of composition, morphology and size. When the molar ratio of copper to sulfur is 1:1, the product is CuS nanoflakes with particle size of 200–300 nm and thickness of 30 nm. The CuS nanoflakes with a smaller band gap value of 2.01eV can photodegrade 96% (48 mg/g) of rhodamine B (RhB) in 5 min in the presence of H2O2. This route is simple, environmentally friendly and it offers a more promising way to prepare different morphologies and compositions of Copper Base Sulfide Nanoparticles (CBSN). [Display omitted] •Copper Base Sulfide Nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple and green method.•The ratios of precursors determine the composition and morphology of the products.•The products exhibit good photocatalytic activity under visible irradiation.•The interaction of sulfur with copper ion in PEG was analyzed in detail.