Controllable synthesis of new Tl2S2O3 nanostructures via hydrothermal process; characterization and investigation photocatalytic activity for degradation of some anionic dyes

The synthesis and characterization of novel high-quality and high-yield plate-like thallium(I) thiosulfate nano structures via simple hydrothermal method between TlNO3 and sodium thiosulfate at relatively low temperature is reported without using any surfactant and organic solvents for the first time. The as-synthesized nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. The effect of temperature and reaction time on the morphology and particle sizes Tl2S2O3 nanostructures has been investigated. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized products has been compared in the photodegradation activity of three anionic dyes. This effort has offered a general, simple, and effective method to control the composition and morphology of Tl2S2O3 nanostructures in aqueous solution, which exposed potential new insight into nanostructure synthesis methodology. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.