Characterization of copper sulfide nanostructured spheres and nanotubes synthesized by microwave-assisted solvothermal method

Copper sulfide nanostructured spheres and nanotubes were successfully synthesized, using a microwave-assisted solvothermal method, by the decomposition of [Cu(CH3CSNH2)2]Cl2 complexes, formed by the reaction of CuCl2·2H2O and CH3CSNH2 in ethylene glycol at different pH values, and identified by CHNS/O and FTIR analyses. The decrease in bonding energy of N–H revealed the coordination of copper ions and thioacetamide molecules. It was specified that nitrogen atoms of thioacetamide molecules were used to form Cu–thioacetamide complexes. XRD, SEM, TEM and SAED analyses show that the products were hexagonal CuS spheres in an extremely low pH solution, and hexagonal CuS nanotubes at a pH 13. Their Raman spectra show sharp peaks at 473 cm− 1, identified as the S–S stretching mode of S2 ions at the 4e sites.