Self-assembly of layered wurtzite ZnS nanorods/nanowires as highly efficient photocatalysts

Abstract

Unusually extended and oriented wurtzite ZnS nanorods/nanowires have been successfully synthesized by a one-pot wet chemical method. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). These nanorods and nanowires are well defined by stacking ZnS nanosheets layer-by-layer along the [0001] direction, and each layer of these nanorods (or nanowires) is a single crystalline ZnS wurtzite structure. A possible formation mechanism for the growth of the ZnS NRs has been proposed. More importantly, the layered ZnS nanorods/nanowires are confirmed to possess an extraordinary photocatalytic ability for the photodegradation of non-biodegradable brilliant red X-3B azo dye under UV-light irradiation.