Structural and optical studies of undoped and copper doped zinc sulphide nanoparticles for photocatalytic application

• Thioglycerol capped Zn1−xCuxS; x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.04 have been synthesized using chemical precipitation route.
• Absorbance in the near visible region is significantly enhanced with Cu doping.
• Optical band gap decreased with the increase in Cu content.
• Zn1−xCuxS; x = 0.03 recorded highest degradation of crystal violet (up to 99%).
• Effect of UV irradiation on photocatalytic activity of capped ZnS is investigated.

Photocatalytic activity of semiconductor nanoparticles for their potential application in the area of photocatalysis provides clean source for degradation of organic pollutants. With the aim to utilize it efficiently in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, zinc sulphide nanoparticles capped with thioglycerol and doped with copper (Zn1−xCuxS; x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.04) were synthesized using simple chemical precipitation route. Structural studies were done using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Morphological features of as prepared samples were recorded by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies were done to confirm the presence of thioglycerol on the surface of doped ZnS. UV–Vis and photoluminescence studies were carried out to study the effect of doping on optical properties of synthesized material. Degradation of crystal violet has been carried out to investigate the effect of Cu doping on photocatalytic activity of ZnS. It is observed that Cu doping has enhanced the photocatalytic activity of ZnS. Further, UV irradiation study of thioglycerol capped ZnS NPs has been carried out to investigate its effect on photocatalytic performance of the material. The obtained results are interesting and may find applications in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants on large scale and also in other related areas.

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