Synthesis of Template-Free CNTS Nanostructures by Hydrothermal Method: Investigating Structural, Photocatalytic, Antibacterial and Electrochemical Properties

Abstract

In this study, nanoparticles of quaternary chalcogenide Cu2NiSnS4 (CNTS) were prepared by a hydrothermal method to evaluate their electrochemical, photocatalytic and antibacterial performances. The samples were synthesized using aqueous solution of thiourea as a sulfur source without any surfactant assistance. The XRD pattern of the synthesized samples exhibited pure phases of Cu2NiSnS4 nanoparticles corresponding to the cubic structure along the (111) plane. The average crystallite sizes decreased with increasing thiourea concentrations. FESEM analysis revealed that the optimized sample exhibited nanosheets with bundle-like structures. The oxidation states of quaternary chalcogenide nanoparticles, such as Cu2+, Ni2+ and Sn4+ were confirmed by XPS technique. The bandgap value of the synthesized sample was estimated at 1.35 eV. The cyclic voltammetry profiles exhibited pseudocapacitive characteristics, whereas the charge-discharge investigation of the CNTS-10 electrode yielded the highest capacitance value of 374 Fg-1 under a low scan rate. The degradation efficiency of two different dyes e.g. methylene blue (MB) and crystal violet (CV) was investigated by photocatalytic measurements and the optimized sample CNTS-10 exhibited the highest efficiencies of 88% and 82% respectively. The antibacterial activity results clearly showed that a maximum inhibition rate (22 mm for 100 µg/mL) was found for Vibrio parahaemolyticus against other pathogenic bacteria.