Rose-like CuS microflowers and their enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance

Surfactant-free rose-like copper sulfide (CuS) microflowers were prepared by a simple one-pot solvothermal method in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Large-scale rose-like products with uniform morphology can be obtained when the reaction time was 60 min. When polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was added as a surfactant, rose-like CuS microflowers cannot be obtained while CuS microspheres or multiplates can be achieved with different mole ratios of sulfur and copper ions. The growth mechanism of the rose-like CuS microflowers was proposed. The low-viscosity DMF is believed to play an important role in the formation of the rose-like microflowers which were self-assembled by nanosheets. It was found that these rose-like CuS microflowers have enhanced photocatalytic behaviors in decoloring organic dyes compared with the CuS microspheres and multiplates because of their mesoporous structure, high optical absorption in the visible-light region and large specific surface area.