One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of CuCo2S4/RGO nanocomposites for visible-light photocatalytic applications

CuCo2S4/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites with varying amount of RGO loadings were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. l-Cysteine has been used as a bio-sulfur source to synthesize CuCo2S4 nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images showed that the CuCo2S4 nanoparticles uniformly decorated the entire surface of the RGO sheets. The results of photo electrochemical studies revealed that the incorporation of RGO could improve the effective electron transportation, which leads to higher photocatalytic activity. The highest degradation efficiency toward photodegradation of malachite green was achieved with 3% of RGO loading in the CuCo2S4 matrix. Furthermore, based on experimental results, the underlying mechanism for photocatalysis was proposed and discussed. This study demonstrates that the CuCo2S4/(RGO) nanocomposites could be used as a green photocatalyst for environmental applications.