Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Photocatalytic Properties of Carbon Nanotube/Zinc Sulfide Heterostructures

Abstract

The multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) wrapped with face-centered cubic ZnS nanospheres with a uniform and small diameter have been prepared to form MWCNT/ZnS heterostructures by microwave irradiation. Zinc acetate (Zn(Ac) 2 ) and thioacetamide (TAA) were used as the zinc and sulfur sources, respectively. The dispersion, morphology, ratio of loading, and size of the ZnS nanospheres in the range of 11.7 to 24.5 nm can be controlled easily by adjusting the microwave power, the initial concentration of Zn(Ac) 2 , and the molar ratios of Zn(Ac) 2 /TAA and Zn(Ac) 2 /MWCNTs. The heterostructures have been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the surfaces of MWCNTs are not only randomly decorated with ZnS layers composed of uniform ZnS nanoparticles but also show that some spherelike ZnS nanoparticles are aggregated and deposited on the ZnS layers. A photoluminescence spectrum showed that the MWCNT/ZnS heterostructures feature a broad blue emission at around 432 nm (λ ex ) 376 nm). The MWCNT/ZnS heterostructures also show an excellent photocatalytic activity toward the photodegradation of methyl orange.

Synthesis of carbon nanotube/anatase titania composites by a combination of sol–gel and self-assembly at low temperature

“…6 shows the PL spectra of 10% MWCNT/TiO 2 with excitation wavelengths of 325 nm. It was reported that MWCNT gave no PL signal in the measured region [10,39]. The MWCNT/TiO 2 composites feature a broad emission including three observed peaks from 350 to 550 nm, which is attributed to the emission signal of TiO 2 particles.…”

Microwave-assisted synthesis and magnetic properties of size-controlled CoNi/MWCNT nanocomposites

“…In these methods, microwave-assisted synthesis has remarkable advantages of short reaction time, small particle size, narrow particle size distribution, high purity of the products and eco-friendly. In our previous work [23,24], we found that microwave-assisted synthesis in the deposition of nanoparticles onto MWCNTs is a very useful and powerful method to directly control the size, morphology, structure, and loading of nanoparticles.…”

Preparation and characterisation of graphene/ZnS nanocomposites via a surfactant-free method

“…Zinc sulphide (ZnS), an important member in the family of semiconductors, has been extensively investigated. By decorating ZnS with CNTs, a variety of excellent properties such as photocatalytic [16] and electronic have been observed [17]. It is well-known that fruitful research works have been made into the preparation of CNTs/ZnS nanocomposites which are of many potential applications [16][17][18][19].…”