Facial Grinding Method for Synthesis of High-Purity CuS Nanosheets

Abstract

High-purity CuS nanosheets have been successfully synthesized at room temperature via a quick, simple, and efficient grinding approach by using CuCl2·2H2O, thiourea, and NaOH as starting materials. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and Raman spectra indicated that as-prepared CuS was of high purity and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the sheet-like nanostructure. The specific area of as-synthesized CuS nanosheets was obtained with a N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm, and the value is 23.18 m2·g–1, which is higher than that of CuS fabricated by the traditional method. The bandgap of the as-synthesize CuS was calculated to be around 1.8 eV corresponding to the UV–vis diffuse reflection spectra, showing a potential prospect in photocatalysis and solar cells. A 10-g-level production also has been achieved in our laboratory, and the yield was over 95% based on the Cu source. The grinding approach can be a promising method for the industrial-scale production of high-purity CuS nanosheets.