Solvothermal Synthesis of p-type Cu2ZnSnS4-Based Nanocrystals and Photocatalytic Properties for Degradation of Methylene Blue

Abstract

The quaternary copper-based chalcogenide Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS), have recently arisen as a low-cost and environment-friendly material for photovoltaics and photocatalysis. In this paper, p-type kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanocrystals were synthesized by solvothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–Vis spectroscopy were used to investigate the structural, morphological and photocatalytic properties of kesterite CZTS nanocrystals. The kesterite CZTS nanocrystals powder were used as a photocatalyst to investigate the degradation rate of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. The results show the 62% degradation of methylene blue (MB) within 240 min under visible-light irradiation. Furthermore, Zn was partially doped with Fe, Mn, Co, and Ni. CZTS-based nanocrystals and results reveal that Cu2(Zn0.8Me0.2)SnS4 (Me = Fe, Mn, Co, Ni) could degrade 92, 74, 84 and 89% of MB within 240 min, respectively, indicating promising potential as effective visible-light photocatalysts.