Sustainable Synthesis of Cadmium Sulfide, with Applicability in Photocatalysis, Hydrogen Production, and as an Antibacterial Agent, Using Two Mechanochemical Protocols

Abstract

CdS nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using cadmium acetate and sodium sulfide as Cd and S precursors, respectively. The effect of using sodium thiosulfate as an additional sulfur precursor was also investigated (combined milling). The samples were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, UV-Vis spectroscopy, PL spectroscopy, DLS, and TEM. Photocatalytic activities of both CdS samples were compared. The photocatalytic activity of CdS, which is produced by combined milling, was superior to that of CdS, and was obtained by an acetate route in the degradation of Orange II under visible light irradiation. Better results for CdS prepared using a combined approach were also evidenced in photocatalytic experiments on hydrogen generation. The antibacterial potential of mechanochemically prepared CdS nanocrystals was also tested on reference strains of E. coli and S. aureus. Susceptibility tests included a 24-h toxicity test, a disk diffusion assay, and respiration monitoring. Bacterial growth was not completely inhibited by the presence of neither nanomaterial in the growth environment. However, the experiments have confirmed that the nanoparticles have some capability to inhibit bacterial growth during the logarithmic growth phase, with a more substantial effect coming from CdS nanoparticles prepared in the absence of sodium thiosulfate. The present research demonstrated the solvent-free, facile, and sustainable character of mechanochemical synthesis to produce semiconductor nanocrystals with multidisciplinary application.

Mechanochemical synthesis of non-stoichiometric copper sulfide Cu1.8S applicable as a photocatalyst and antibacterial agent and synthesis scalability verification

“…Suspensions were prepared according to the methods presented in our previous work. 53 In total, 24 repetitions of each sample were tested for the 24 hour assay, whereas respiration monitoring contained 8 repetitions for each case. A one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc comparison test was used to discriminate statistically signicant differences between the samples.…”

Mechanochemical one-pot synthesis of heterostructured pentlandite-carbon composites for the hydrogen evolution reaction

“…24 Mechanochemical reactions are initiated through mechanical force, e.g., during ball milling, and have been shown to be a successful synthesis route for many sulde and selenide compounds. [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] Compared to traditional synthesis methods, the mechanochemical approach has enabled a cost-effective, scalable, and solvent-free production of pentlandite. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, there is no universal approach yielding a wide range of desired Pn compositions and heterostructured materials.…”

Ternary and Quaternary Nanocrystalline Cu-Based Sulfides as Perspective Antibacterial Materials Mechanochemically Synthesized in a Scalable Fashion

“…Metal sulphides mimicking safe natural minerals seem to be rising stars in this area. , More binary metal sulphides perfectly serve this role. The antibacterial potential of Ag 2 S, − CdS, − CuS − MoS 2, − and ZnS − has been studied many times. There are few publications on the antimicrobial action of more exotic binary sulfides like SnS 2, CoS 2, NiS, and In 2 S 3.…”