Preparation of various kinds of copper sulfides in a facile way and the enhanced catalytic activity by visible light

Various kinds of copper sulfides (CuS, a mixture of Cu7S4–CuS and Cu9S5) were synthesized by simply adjusting the amount of copper chloride and sodium sulfide in a solvothermal process. The different molar ratios of copper chloride and sodium sulfide result in the formation of different kinds of copper sulfides with various morphologies, such as tiny particle, hexagonal plate and octahedron. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. And the optical properties of the products were recorded by means of UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Moreover, due to the presence of visible light, we found that the catalytic activities of the products for oxidation and decomposition of Rhodamine B with the assistance of hydrogen peroxide were enhanced, and the degradation efficiency of RhB was increased from 40% to 98% in 15 minutes at room temperature.