Volume 241, 2023

Mechanochemical synthesis of non-stoichiometric copper sulfide Cu1.8S applicable as a photocatalyst and antibacterial agent and synthesis scalability verification

Abstract

An effort to prepare different non-stoichiometric CuxSy compounds starting from elemental precursors using mechanochemistry was made in this study. However, out of the 7 stoichiometries tested, it was only possible to obtain three phases: covellite CuS, chalcocite Cu2S and digenite Cu1.8S and their mixtures. To obtain the digenite phase with the highest purity, the Cu : S stoichiometric ratio needed to be fixed at 1.6 : 1. The reaction between copper and sulfur was completed within a second range, however, milling was performed for up to 15 minutes until the equilibrium in phase composition between digenite and covellite was reached. The possibility of preparing the product in a 300 g batch by eccentric vibratory milling in 30 minutes was successfully verified at the end. The estimated crystallite sizes for the digenite Cu1.8S obtained via lab-scale and scalable experiments were around 12 and 17 nm, respectively. The obtained products were found to be efficient photocatalysts under visible light irradiation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, being capable of the complete degradation of the Methyl Orange dye in a concentration of 10 mg L−1 in 2 hours. Finally, the antibacterial potential of both lab-scale and large-scale industrial products was proven and, regardless of the manufacturing scale, the nanoparticles retained their properties against bacterial cells.

Graphical abstract: Mechanochemical synthesis of non-stoichiometric copper sulfide Cu1.8S applicable as a photocatalyst and antibacterial agent and synthesis scalability verification

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 4 2022
Accepted
18 5 2022
First published
18 5 2022

Faraday Discuss., 2023,241, 367-386

Mechanochemical synthesis of non-stoichiometric copper sulfide Cu1.8S applicable as a photocatalyst and antibacterial agent and synthesis scalability verification

M. Baláž, A. Augustyniak, B. Tatykayev, Z. Shalabayev, G. Burashev, E. Dutková, N. Daneu, J. Briančin, Ľ. Balážová, Ľ. Tkáčiková, M. Stahorský, M. Achimovičová and P. Baláž, Faraday Discuss., 2023, 241, 367 DOI: 10.1039/D2FD00082B

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