Issue 14, 2023

Development of hierarchical copper sulfide–carbon nanotube (CuS–CNT) composites and utilization of their superior carrier mobility in efficient charge transport towards photodegradation of Rhodamine B under visible light

Abstract

In this work, the synthesis of visible light sensitive copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles and their composites with carbon nanotubes (T-CuS) via a solvothermal technique is reported. The synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) and their composites were significantly characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the crystallinity, microstructures, photo-absorption, photo-excitation, thermal stability and surface area of CuS was investigated. The current–voltage (I vs. V) characteristics of both CuS and T-CuS based Schottky diodes were measured to determine the charge transport parameters like photosensitivity, conductivity, mobility of charge carriers, and transit time. The photocatalytic performance of bare CuS and T-CuS in the decomposition of Rhodamine B dye was studied using a solar simulator. The T-CuS composite showed higher photocatalytic activity (94%) compared to bare CuS (58%). The significance of charge carrier mobility in transferring photo-induced charges (holes and electrons) through complex networks of composites and facilitating the photodegradation process is explained. Finally, the reactive species responsible for the Rhodamine B degradation were also identified.

Graphical abstract: Development of hierarchical copper sulfide–carbon nanotube (CuS–CNT) composites and utilization of their superior carrier mobility in efficient charge transport towards photodegradation of Rhodamine B under visible light

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Mar 2023
Accepted
30 May 2023
First published
31 May 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale Adv., 2023,5, 3655-3663

Development of hierarchical copper sulfide–carbon nanotube (CuS–CNT) composites and utilization of their superior carrier mobility in efficient charge transport towards photodegradation of Rhodamine B under visible light

M. Das, D. Das, S. Sil and P. P. Ray, Nanoscale Adv., 2023, 5, 3655 DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00204G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements