Facile low temperature synthesis of homogeneous CuS nanosheets: An effect of Ga loading on structural, optical, nonlinear and antimicrobial properties

Abstract

Herein, we report the facile synthesis and characterization of gallium (Ga) doped copper sulfide (CuS) nanosheets (Ga:CuS NSs) via chemical co-precipitation (CCP) route. The phase was studied by XRD, Raman and XPS analyses. Furthermore, from applications point of view, the UV–Vis–NIR, Z-scan measurements, and antibacterial studies were performed on the prepared NSs. XRD/Raman analysis reveals hexagonal structure of NSs and the crystallite size was calculated in range of 6–13 nm. SEM images unveiled an increase in grains size with Ga contents. The band gap values of Ga:CuS NSs were calculated from diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) using Kubelka-Munk (K-M) theory, which are found in the range of 2.2 – 2.4 eV. The nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) and nonlinear refractive index (n2) were found in range of 1.73 × 10−8 – 1.85 × 10−8 cm/W and 2.61 × 10−13 – 2.15 × 10−13 cm2/W, respectively. The antimicrobial findings showed that the tested Ga:CuS NSs are most effective against Gram positive bacteria. The outcomes spotlight the multifunctional nature of the prepared Ga:CuS NSs for a wide-range of applications.