Monodisperse CuS nanodisks: low-temperature solvothermal synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activity

Controllable synthesis of uniformly disk-shaped CuS nanostructures with a narrow size distribution was realized by a low-temperature (150 degrees C) solvothermal process using polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the surfactant. Monodispersed nanodisks of pure CuS phase with an average diameter of ca. 500 nm could be obtained at a specific S/Cu molar ratio (x(S/Cu)) of raw materials, which was revealed to affect the phase structure and morphology of the product but the influence of PVP content (x(PVP)) is limited. The CuS nanodisks have a broad absorption in the visible region and superior photocatalytic performances for the degradation of RhB whose decomposition rate reaches 93% in 2 h, indicating a potential application in the field of wastewater treatment.