Synthesis of flower-like Bi2S3/Cu7.2S4composites and their photocatalytic performance: Synthesis of flower-like Bi2S3/Cu7.2S4composites and their photocatalytic performance

Hybrid materials exhibit unique optical and catalytic properties that are dependent on their composition, morphology and structure. In this work, Bi2S3/Cu7.2S4 composites with flower-like morphology have been successfully prepared via a facile and effective approach based on a hydrothermal method and an ion-exchange reaction. The molar composition of Bi and Cu in the Bi2S3/Cu7.2S4 composites can be simply modulated by changing the amount of CuCl2 center dot 2H(2)O. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained product was evaluated through the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The results show clearly that the Bi2S3/Cu7.2S4 composites possess a much high photocatalytic activity (about 92.2% of RhB was degraded within 75 min) than pure Bi2S3 and copper sulfide particles. This work provides useful insight into the rational design and preparation of novel and effective chalcogenide-based hybrid photocatalysts.