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This research presents a near-infrared (NIR) light-activated drug delivery system designed to enhance the antimicrobial efficacy and bone integration of titanium-based implants. The system utilizes epoxy-modified TiO 2 nanotubes and CuS nanoparticles that generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under 808 nm NIR light to enable controlled drug release. This innovative approach addresses the challenges of bacterial infection and fixation loosening and offers a significant improvement in implant performance. [Display omitted] • Enhanced antimicrobial efficacy and bone integration with NIR light-activated system. • Controlled drug release from CuS-modified TiO 2 nanotubes under 808 nm illumination. • Markedly improved antibacterial action and sustained release mechanism. Two primary obstacles impede the longevity of implants: bacterial infection and fixation loosening. This research introduces an innovative near-infrared (NIR) light-activated drug delivery system tailored to enhance the antimicrobial efficacy and bone integration of titanium-based implants. Titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (TNTs) were modified with epoxy for covalent bonding of therapeutic agents, and copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs) were added for regulated drug release. Alendronate sodium (ALN), an osteoporosis medication, was successfully bonded to the nanotubes. In vitro experiments showed that the release rate of ALN from TNTs-ALN reached 94 % within 36 h. In contrast, minimal release was observed in TNTs-ECH-ALN-CuS, which effectively addresses the prevalent issue of abrupt drug discharge typical in conventional delivery systems. In the context of NIR light exposure, the TNTs-ECH-ALN-CuS exhibited a notable ALN release efficacy of 48 %, demonstrating effective control over drug delivery. Additionally, the generation of ROS, coupled with temperature elevation under NIR exposure, endowed the modified TNTs with exceptional antibacterial efficacy, exceeding 99 % inhibition against E.coli and S.aureus. We observed a pronounced enhancement in the drug delivery mechanism, characterized by a reduction in the initial burst release and a sustained, controlled release, coupled with robust antibacterial action and notable biological performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Au/Ce 2 S 3 @CeO 2 /CuS nanocatalysts were prepared for propargylamine synthesis. • Ce 2 S 3 was converted by CeO 2 in Na 2 S due to the different solubility product constant. • Contents of active sites Cu+ and Ce3+ were highly improved in Au/Ce 2 S 3 @CeO 2 /CuS. • A high product conversion rate of 222.5 mmol·g−1·h−1 obtained for Au/Ce 2 S 3 @CeO 2 /CuS. • Au/Ce 2 S 3 @CeO 2 /CuS also showed excellent recyclability, with 80 % retention after 5 cycles. A newly developed nanocomposite catalyst, Au/Ce 2 S 3 @CeO 2 /CuS, has been engineered for effective propargylamine synthesis through the A3 coupling reaction. The catalyst's synthesis involved the targeted addition of 15 wt% CeO 2 to the CuS sulfur precursor, leading to the formation of a Ce 2 S 3 layer due to its lower solubility product constant (K sp). This layer, along with 0.5 wt% Au nanoparticles, significantly increased the Ce3+ concentration (16.9 % to 33 %–52 %), which can accelerate the Cu+/Cu2+ valence state changes, thereby promoting the activation of the alkynyl hydrogen to enhance propargylamine formation. After 2 h reaction, the Au/Ce 2 S 3 @CeO 2 /CuS catalyst achieved over 99 % conversion, nearly 55 % more than pure CuS (45.5 %). The Au/Ce 2 S 3 @CeO 2 /CuS nanocomposite also showed excellent recyclability (80 % retention after 5 cycles) and a high conversion rate of 222.5 mmol·g−1·h−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hole conducting, transparent CuS:ZnS thin films were produced via thermal evaporation. • A superior conductivity value of 1420 S/cm was obtained for (CuS) 0.49 :(ZnS) 0.51 films. • Proof-of-concept device of p+-(CuS) 0.49 :(ZnS) 0.51 /n-Si photodiodes were produced. • Photodiode exhibited an excellent photoresponsivity covering a wide spectral range. This study demonstrates the viability of the thermal evaporation method to produce transparent and highly conductive p-type (CuS) x :(ZnS) 1-x thin films by achieving the highest conductivity value (1.4 × 103 S/cm) reported in this field to date. This places it in direct comparison with n-type transparent conductors. Analysis through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) unveils nanocomposite structures comprising sphalerite ZnS, chalcocite Cu 2 S, and covellite CuS nanocrystals in the thin films. The study reveals that transmittance values at a wavelength of 550 nm vary from 84 % to 65 % based on the increasing CuS ratio, establishing thermal-evaporated (CuS) x :(ZnS) 1-x thin films as promising candidates for p-type transparent electrodes. Moreover, p+-(CuS) 0.49 :(ZnS) 0.54 /n-Si heterojunction photodiodes were also produced. The heterojunction diode exhibited excellent photo-response characteristics in a wide range of wavelengths between 325 and 1170 nm at zero-bias. The responsivity value of the photodiode was as high as 1.44 A/W at the peak wavelength of 912 nm (9.45 mW/cm2) with a high I on /I off ratio of 1.45 × 104. Besides, it was shown to have excellent detectivity, response time, and external quantum efficiency (EQE) values corresponding to 2.62 × 1012 Jones, 8.45 µs, and 244 %, respectively. Most of these values are superior to those even in commercial-grade photodiodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Typical SEM images of CuS/graphene composite and schematic illustration of a Li/S cell configuration with a CuS/graphene-coated separator. Highlights • CuS/graphene with high lithium polysulfides adsorption capacity was synthesized. • CuS/graphene coated-separator functions as a highly efficient ionic sieve to LPS. • The cell with CuS/graphene coated-separator exhibit enhanced cycling performance. Abstract Herein, we demonstrate a facile synthesis process to fabricate and deposit flower-like CuS/graphene nanocomposite on a multi-functional separator for efficient immobilization of polysulfides of lithium/sulfur (Li/S) batteries. Admirably, as-prepared CuS/graphene composite endows enriched oxygen-functional groups and excellent electrical conductivity for cathode area. The introduction of CuS/graphene-coated separator effectively reduced the dissolution of lithium polysulfides as well as enhanced the integrity of the sulfur cathode for Li/S batteries. The cell with these modified separator delivered an enviable discharge capacity of 1302 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C, as well as an excellent reversible capacity of 760 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. Furthermore, an outstanding rate capability of 568 mAh g−1 at 3.0 C has been achieved in the cell with CuS/graphene-coated separator. The results reveal that CuS/graphene-coated separator shows an admirable potentiality to boost the performance of next-generation Li/S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CuS-PVP@ZIF-67 is obtained by a simple synthetic method. • High removal efficiency for many pollutants is achieved with CuS-PVP@ZIF-67/PMS. • The catalyst used can be easily recovered by suction filtration. • The potential harm of intermediate products is analyzed. • A possible synergistic mechanism of adsorption-PMS activation is proposed. Selective removal of organic pollutants by PMS-activated heterogeneous catalytic system has become one of the commonly used methods, but the adsorption of the catalyst is often ignored in the degradation process. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are often used in the field of environment because of their high porosity and structural diversity/adjustability. However, there are still difficulties in the aggregation and recycling of nanoparticles. This study effectively synthesized the material CuS-PVP@ZIF-67 by using hollow spherical CuS as the carrier of Co-MOF (ZIF-67) to solve these problems. A high concentration of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) can be successfully adsorbed by electrostatic attraction and π-π interaction, and small amount of PMS may be quickly activated, and the removal rate of OTC is 94.82 % in 20 min. The catalyst used can be easily recovered by suction filtration and has good reusability. In addition, a potential cooperating mechanism for adsorption-PMS activation has additionally been proposed. The degradation pathway of OTC is determined, and the potential harm of intermediate products is analyzed. This work aims to create a heterogeneous catalytic system with significant adsorption and catalytic ability to remove refractory organic contaminants in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Hole transfer was enhanced by incorporating CuS in carbon electrode. • CuS nanostructures prepared by a simple precipitation method. • The addition of CuS improved the photovoltaic performance of hole-conductor-free perovskite solar cell. • C-CuS electrode based PSC showed high efficiency and long-term stability. Abstract Hole conductor-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on carbon electrodes have drawn much attention on account of low cost, long-term stability, simple manufacture technology. In the devices, the carbon electrodes not only play as charge transfer channels, but also as hole extracting layers, thus the conductivity and hole mobility are critical for the performance. However, the hole mobility of carbon layers is relatively low. Here, low-temperature carbon layers were incorporated with CuS nanostructures, in which the hole mobility was improved. After adding 1 wt.% CuS, the PSCs yielded to the best power conversion efficiency of 11.28% with a V OC of 0.98 V and J SC of 18.26 mA cm−2, while the pure carbon electrode based PSCs attained the best power conversion efficiency of 9.36% with a V OC of 0.93 V and J SC of 16.14 mA cm−2 which is slightly higher than that of the PSCs based on pure carbon counter electrode. This study demonstrates that it is an effective way to improve the hole transport property of carbon counter electrode by combining p-type CuS with high hole mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • CuS TCFs have been prepared on a large sized flexible substrate via CBD method. • Conductivity and transmittance of CuS TCFs could be conveniently controlled according to requirements. • The performances of CuS TCFs almost unchanged even after hundreds of bending operations. Abstract Transparent conductive CuS film was prepared on A4 sized polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate through chemical bath deposition method reacting at a mild temperature of 35 °C by using copper nitrate and thiourea as precursors and triethanolamine as complexing agent. Characterization studies showed that the as prepared nanoparticles were closely packed and tightly adhered onto the surface of the PET substrate with the highest ASTM 5B level, and formed a homogeneous nanosized CuS film with satisfied conductivity and transmittance. It was found that the light transmittance with the film was negatively correlated with its conductivity. When the light transmittance for the film prepared under optimized conditions was enhanced from 55.0 to 71.7%, the conductivity underwent a consistent deterioration, and the corresponding sheet resistance value was increased from 74.12 to 196.20 Ω/□. Although bending operation was testified to be an important influencing factor on the properties of the film and could let its resistance vary along with the decrease of curvature radius, the amplitude of variation was limited. Both of conductivity and transmittance remained almost unchanged for the film to which hundreds of severe bending operations were subjected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 (BSC) nanoplates with high aspect ratio and hierarchical nanostructures were prepared by hydrothermal technique using urea/hexamethylenetetramine as hydrolysing agent and KCl as additive in different solvent systems. The relative molar proportion of urea and KCl was crucial for phase purity as well as thickness and planar dimension of the BSC plates. The BSC nanoplates were used as substrates to prepare CuS-Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 (CuS/BSC) direct z-scheme heterojunction systems. The heterojunction materials were characterized by FESEM, HRTEM, XRD, PL, FTIR and UV–Vis-DRS techniques. The presence of crystalline tetragonal BSC and hexagonal covellite CuS phase was inferred from XRD study. Morphologically, the CuS/BSC material contained CuS nanorods and BSC nanoplates. HRTEM study suggested microscopic close contact between the CuS nanorods and BSC nanoplates. Optical property study revealed improvement in visible light absorption and enhanced separation of excitons. The CuS/BSC materials were used as photocatalyst for chlorpyrifos pesticide degradation under visible light irradiation. The heterojunction materials were highly active achieving >95% degradation within 3 h of reaction. The pathway and mechanism of CP degradation was elucidated using GCMS and radical scavenger experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuS-WO 3 composites were synthesized by an in situ solution method at low temperature. The crystalline phase, morphology, particle size, and the optical properties of CuS-WO 3 samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra. CuS-WO 3 composites showed much higher activity for photocatalytic degradation of RhB as compared with WO 3 and CuS. The degradation rate constant over 1 wt% CuS-WO 3 catalyst was 4.4 times and 9.2 times higher than that of WO 3 and CuS, respectively. It is found that holes (h + ) and superoxide radical anions ( O 2 − ) are the dominant reactive species by using methanol, disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) and ascorbic acid as scavengers. Band structure analysis shows that bottom of CB of WO 3 is very similar with and higher (ca. 0.01 eV) than the top of VB of CuS. The results of PL showed that the similarity renders the recombination between photogenerated holes on the VB of CuS and photogenerated electrons on the CB of WO 3 possible and easy, forming a direct Z-scheme in CuS-WO 3 . This result in that more electrons in the CB of CuS and holes in the VB of WO 3 survived, and then participated in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB, showing an increased activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to unique advantages, the development of high-performance supercapacitors has stimulated a great deal of scientific research over the past decade. The electrochemical performance of a supercapacitor is strongly affected by the surface and structural properties of its electrode materials. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of high-performance supercapacitor electrode material based on CuS nano-hollow spheres with nanoporous structures, large specific surface area (97 m 2 g −1 ) and nanoscale shell thickness (<20 nm). This interesting electrode structure plays a key role in providing more active sites for electrochemical reactions, short ion and electron diffusion pathways and facilitated ion transport. The CuS nano-hollow spheres electrode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance including a maximum specific capacitance of 948 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , significant rate capability of 46% capacitance retention at a high current density of 50 A g −1 , and outstanding long-term cycling stability at various current densities. This work not only demonstrates the promising potential of the CuS-NHS electrodes for application in high-performance supercapacitors, but also sheds a new light on the metal sulfides design philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust TiO 2 /CuS@TiO 2 hetero-catalysts loaded on Ti mesh with outstanding photothermal effects for the photo-degradation of organic pollutions. [Display omitted] • TiO 2 /CuS@TiO 2 hetero-catalysts was in situ synthesized on titanium mesh for photocatalytic water treatment. • Effective utilization of incident light from UV to NIR was achieved due to the specific absorption of TiO 2 and CuS. • CuS serving as photothermal centers greatly enhanced the degradation rate of the photocatalytic centers (TiO 2). • Hetero-catalysts showed enhanced stability because of the protective TiO 2 layer by ALD technology. • Flow reactor made with 3D printing verified the potential of hetero-catalysts for large-scale applications. A scalable strategy with commercial feasibility was developed to in situ generate TiO 2 nanowires/amorphous CuS@TiO 2 nanolayer (TiO 2 /CuS@TiO 2) composites on the surface of titanium mesh through a sequent hydrothermal method, successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR), and atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. The TiO 2 /CuS@TiO 2 composites could respectively harness the incident light with different spectra at the photothermal center (CuS, visible and near-infrared light) and photocatalytic center (TiO 2 , UV and visible light), which leads to the effective utilization of the solar energy. Benefiting from the CuS photothermal-induced local heating effect of CuS, the adjacent micro-zone temperature could be elevated and the activation energy barrier could be reduced by 10.5 kJ mol−1, which promotes the activation of surface lattice oxygen and dissolved oxygen in the photocatalytic process. Meanwhile, the ALD generated TiO 2 nanolayer could both serve as reactive centers but also protecting armor for the CuS, which prohibited the peeling and oxidation of the thermal centers, leading to a high stability of the photocatalyst, which exhibits no obvious fading after 20-cycle reuse. A flow reactor was conceived and made by 3D print and the Ti-mesh based photocatalyst was integrated, which demonstrates high photocatlytic performances, manifesting its great potential for large-scale water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The prepared magnetic CuS/Fe 3 O 4 was an efficient persulfate activator. • S2- and S n 2- promoted the cycle of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Cu2+/Cu+. • SO 4 ·-, ·OH, ·O 2 – and 1O 2 contributed to MO degradation and ·OH played a leading role. • Fukui function based DFT predicted the radical and electrophilic attack sites of MO. While magnetic Fe 3 O 4 provides Fe2+ to activate persulfate (PS) to produce sulfate radicals (SO 4 ·-), Fe2+ tends to be oxidized to Fe3+, declining the activation efficiency. The low-valent sulfur in transition metal sulfide could convert Fe3+ to Fe2+ due to its strong reducibility, and CuS was used as the activator of PS. However, its separation and recovery posed great challenges to practical application. Magnetic CuS/Fe 3 O 4 was prepared with a purpose to simultaneously convert Fe3+ to Fe2+ and rapidly separate CuS as a catalyst for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) by activating PS. The results showed that CuS/Fe 3 O 4 exhibited higher activity than sole CuS or Fe 3 O 4 as 94 % of MO was removed within 30 min. SO 4 ·-, hydroxyl radical (·OH), superoxide radical (·O 2 –) and singlet oxygen (1O 2) were detected in the CuS/Fe 3 O 4 /PS system and ·OH was the dominant active species. S2- and S n 2- provided electrons for the cycle of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Cu2+/Cu+, resulting in excellent catalytic activity of CuS/Fe 3 O 4. The N C bond cleavage, the breakage of N N bond and the loss of SO 2 bond were identified as three possible degradation pathways of MO. This work provided an effective strategy to enhance the catalytic activity and recovery of the catalyst, and improved the understanding of MO degradation mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuS nanoflowers, fabricated by an element-direct-reaction route using copper and sulfur powder, were loaded on rutile TiO 2 (CuS/TiO 2 ) at low temperature. CuS/TiO 2 composites were utilized as the photocatalysts for the degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), XPS, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra were used to characterize the crystalline phase, morphology, particle size, and the optical properties of CuS/TiO 2 samples. It is found that CuS/TiO 2 photocatalyst, which CuS are loaded on the surface of rutile TiO 2 , exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation of MB (or 4-CP) than TiO 2 or CuS. This indicates that CuS can enhance effectively the photocatalytic activity of rutile TiO 2 by forming heterojunction between CuS and rutile TiO 2 , which is confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) spectra and TEM. Moreover, CuS content has a significant influence on photocatalytic activity and 2 wt% CuS/TiO 2 showed the maximum photocatalytic activity for degradation of MB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ternary Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S/CB/CuS hierarchical multiheterojunction system was designed. • Synergetic effect between multifunctional CB and CuS dual cocatalysts discussed. • High H 2 -production rate achieved over composite, 4.79-fold higher than Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S. Developing exceptionally robust and cost-effective cocatalysts to suppress charge recombination and reduce the reaction energy barrier remains an enormous challenge for producing high-valued and storable hydrogen fuel from photocatalytic water splitting. Herein, novel Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S nanoparticles modified with multifunctional carbon black (CB) nanowires and CuS nanotubes as dual cocatalysts were fabricated via sonochemical loading, and subsequent in-situ deposition routes. In this ternary hierarchical architecture, both CB nanowires and CuS nanotubes can serve as normal electron cocatalysts to markedly promote the hydrogen generation performance by lowering the thermodynamic overpotential for hydrogen evolution. Moreover, due to the high electrical conductivity, the multifunctional CB material can also function as a bridge to effectively capture and transmit the photoexcited electrons from Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S to CuS with outstanding electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity, thus maximizing the carrier separation and H 2 -evolution reaction kinetics. Interestingly, the cooperative effects between CB and CuS dual cocatalysts are also helpful for improving the oxidation capacity of photoexcited holes by lowering the valence band position of Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S, which further accelerates the electron-hole separation. As a result, the constructed Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S/CB/CuS hierarchical multiheterojunction catalyst shows the superior hydrogen generation efficiency of 819.9 μmol h−1 and excellent stability under simulated solar light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, copper sulphide (CuS) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition method under different pH, deposition temperature, stirring speed and deposition time. The effects of process parameters, such as pH from 1.8 to 2.2, deposition temperature from 30 to 50 °C, stirring speed from 50 to 250 rpm and deposition time from 8 to 40 h on the band gap, were optimized by central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). Five-level-four-factor CCD was employed to evaluate the effects of the deposition parameters on the band gap of CuS thin films. A quadratic model was established as a functional relationship between four independent variables and the band gap. Analysis of variance revealed that the proposed model was adequate. The optimum pH, deposition temperature, stirring speed and deposition time were found to be 2.10, 44.33 °C, 200 rpm, and 32 h, respectively. Under these conditions, the experimental band gap of CuS was observed as 2.74 eV, which was well in close agreement with predicted value (2.71 eV) by the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CuO/Al2O3 microspheres with cauliflower-like have been fabricated. [•] CuO/Al2O3 have been scarcely used as catalyst in photocatalytic process. [•] Pt and CuS deposited into CuO/Al2O3 obviously enhances the photocatalytic activity. [•] The maximum H2 evolution rate was obtained using oxalic acid as sacrificial reagent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, oriented CuS nanoplates standing perpendicularly on F: SnO2 (FTO) coated glass substrates have been prepared through a mild microwave assisted chemical bath deposition process in which copper acetate reacted with ethylenediamine tetraacetate acid disodium and thioacetamide in aqueous solution within 40min. The effects of reaction time and microwave radiation on the treatment process were investigated. The morphology, structure, and composition of the yielded nanostructures have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Also, the correlation between the reflectance, transmittance coefficient in the UV and the thickness of films was established. Furthermore, a two-point probe was used for resistivity measurements. We believe this simple chemical conversion technique can be further extended to the synthesis of other semiconductors with various morphologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A robust, ternary photocatalyst, GO-FA-CuS was prepared by covalent conjugation of folic acid (FA) to graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and subsequent deposition of CuS nanoflowers. [Display omitted] • A robust, ternary photocatalyst, GO-FA-CuS has been prepared. • GO-FA-CuS was able to explicit degradation of toxic dyes. • Photocatalytic activity of GO-FA-CuS was higher in NIR laser. • Photothermal effect is responsible for higher activity in NIR laser. • GO-FA-CuS is an stable reusable photocatalyst. A robust, ternary photocatalyst, GO-FA-CuS was prepared by covalent conjugation of folic acid (FA) to graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and subsequent deposition of CuS nanoflowers. The photocatalytic efficiency of GO-FA-CuS was evaluated by degradation rate of industrially versatile used dyes, rhodamine B, methylene blue, methyl orange and alizarin red s by irradiating to near-infrared (NIR) laser. The complete degradation of all four dyes was attained by excellent photocatalytic activity of GO-FA-CuS. Incorporation of GO, FA and CuS in GO-FA-CuS, significantly improved their individual photocatalytic activity with several fold. In GO-FA-CuS, GO and CuS were performed as a collector of holes and captor of electrons, respectively. The blending of FA with GO and CuS, tuned the GO-FA-CuS as an efficient photocatalyst and opened a new era of FA in photocatalysis, apart from its classical application in biomedical field. The hierarchical structured, GO-FA-CuS emerged with important benefits, viz., efficient suppression of recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, higher adsorption of dye molecules and elevated harvesting of NIR light. The photocatalytic activity of GO-FA-CuS in degradation of rhodamine B was higher under exposure to NIR laser rather than UV, visible and sunlight. The facile degradation of rhodamine B found in NIR laser was influenced by photothermal effect. GO-FA-CuS possessed the negative surface charge, because of that, its photocatalytic activity was higher in degradation of cationic dyes, rhodamine B and methylene blue compared to anionic dyes, methyl orange and alizarin red s. The GO-FA-CuS demonstrated significant stability and easy recycling ability for repeated use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High H 2 production activity of dendritic PbS and PbS@CuS was reported for the first time. • Interfacial charge transfer of PbS@CuS were monitored by in-situ X-ray absorption. • Cu L3-edge NEXAFS spectra revealed the transfer of photogenerated electrons from CuS to PbS. • Amounts of CuS are optimized to achieve a max H 2 production rate of 1736 μmol h−1 g−1. Dendritic PbS@CuS core-shell photocatalysts were synthesized with a two-step method: a dendritic PbS core was formed with an ionic liquid/surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method; a CuS shell was grown with an ion-exchange method. Highly active production of H 2 with these dendritic PbS@CuS photocatalysts is reported for the first time. The surface chemistry, morphology, and properties of the crystal lattice of these core-shell nanomaterials were investigated. The effects of the content of the copper (II) nitrate precursor in the nanomaterials on the charge separation, optical properties, and activity for the production of H 2 were investigated. The interfacial charge-transfer behaviors of the composite nanomaterials were studied with Cu L 3 -edge near-edge X-ray-absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectra in situ. A mechanism is proposed based on the results of NEXAFS spectra monitored in situ before and after exposure to solar light. The photoelectron was transferred from CuS to PbS. The proportions of the CuS shells in these dendritic PbS@CuS photocatalysts were optimized to achieve a maximum activity 1736 μmol h−1 g−1 of hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have interesting properties due to their lateral dimensions. Pure self-assembled l -cysteine stabilized covellite nanoplates (CuS@L-Cys NPs) and l -cysteine stabilized chalcocite nano leaves (Cu 2 S@L-Cys NLs) were synthesized by using a template free, the facile hydrothermal route with the best control of size, phase purity structure, morphology, and electrochemical properties. Novel CuS@L-Cys NPs and Cu 2 S@L-Cys NLs snowflakes dendrites were synthesized by varying synthetic parameters such as solvent, temperature (100–180 °C), reaction time (8–24 h), pH of reaction medium (7–14), the concentration of base (0.1–2.4 mL NH 3) and concentration of thiourea (1–4 mmol). By changing these factors, different morphologies such as irregular, regular, trigonal, hexagonal leaf and snowflakes dendrites like shapes were observed. CuS@L-Cys NPs and Cu 2 S@L-Cys NLs were fabricated by using water and ethylenediamine (EDA) as solvent respectively. CuS@L-Cys NPs and Cu 2 S@L-Cys NLs were investigated for potential photocatalytic applications in methyl orange (MO) degradation under visible light with a detailed mechanism. The noteworthy, unique bandgap of 2 eV and the special morphology of CuS@L-Cys NPs increases the active sites for adsorption of dye, which causes extraordinary degradation activity. Furthermore, the l -cysteine (L-Cys) protective layer could efficiently alleviate the photocorrosion of CuS and Cu 2 S, giving rise to excellent stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]