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Photocatalytic CO2 reduction serves as an important technology for value‐added solar fuel production, however, it is generally limited by interfacial charge transport. To address this limitation, a two‐dimensional/two‐dimensional (2D/2D) p‐n heterojunction CuS‐Bi2WO6 (CS‐BWO) with highly connected and matched interfacial lattices was designed in this work via a two‐step hydrothermal tandem synthesis strategy. The integration of CuS with BWO created a robust interface electric field and provided fast charge transfer channels due to the work function difference, as well as highly connected and matched interfacial lattices. The p‐n heterojunction combination promoted the electron transfer from the Cu to Bi sites, leading to the coordination of Bi sites with high electronic density and low oxidation state. The Bi sites in the BWO nanosheets facilitated the adsorption and activation of CO2, and the generation of high‐coverage key intermediate b‐CO32−, while CuS (CS) acted as a broad light‐harvesting material to provide abundant photoinduced electrons that were injected into the conduction band of BWO for CO2 photoreduction reaction. Remarkably, the p‐n heterojunction CS‐BWO exhibited average CO and CH4 yields of 33.9 and 16.4 μmol g−1 h−1, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of CS, BWO, and physical mixture CS‐BWO samples. This work provided an innovative design strategy for developing high‐activity heterojunction photocatalyst for converting CO2 into value‐added solar fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 electroreduction into liquid fuels is of broad interest and benefits reducing the energy crisis and environment burdens. CuS has been reported to be a desirable candidate for CO2 electroreduction into formate; however, its formate selectivity and stability are still far from the demands of practical application. Herein, we report CuS nanoparticles exhibiting good Faradaic efficiency of formate (about 98 %) in CO2 electroreduction and its deactivation mechanism during the reaction. The deactivation of CuS was found to be associated with the reconstruction and S loss of CuS, which deteriorates the Faradaic efficiency of formate. Combined with ionic and gas analyses, the S atom in CuS was lost in the form of H2S, SO2, and SO42−, followed by the reconstruction of CuS into copper oxides. Such a catalyst reconstruction facilitates electroreductions of CO2 and H2O, respectively, into CO and H2, etc., resulting in the degradation of catalytical performance of CO2 electroreduction into formate. This work reveals the important role of S loss and reconstruction of metal sulfide catalysts during the electroreduction reaction, which may benefit the further development of CuS‐based electro‐catalyst for CO2 electroreduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A3 coupling reaction can be used to efficiently synthesize propargylamine, which is an important bioactive molecule intermediate, and copper sulfide (CuS) as its catalyst is rarely reported. Herein, CuS with different morphologies including nanoflowers (NFS), nanorods (NR), nanoparticles (NP) were synthesized and applied to the A3 coupling reaction. The results show that CuS NP has the highest catalytic activity (99 % conversion) compared to other CuS, and also has good group compatibility and recyclability. Combining the activity with the CuS surface structure checked by XPS, BET and HRTEM etc. the excellent catalytic performance of CuS NP can be attributed to its higher specific surface area ((SBET=26.9 m2/g, SLangmuir=144.2 m2/g), and higher Cu+/Cu0 (58.9 %), Sn2− (16.7 %). The large specific surface area can provide more active sites, and higher Cu+/Cu0, Sn2− content are conducive to promoting the activation of alkyne terminal C−H, which is an important step in the A3 coupling reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi‐level architecture formed alternatively by the conformal graphdiyne (GDY) and CuS is well engineered for Li‐free cathode. Such a proof‐of‐concept architecture efficiently integrates the advantages of GDY and produces new functional heterojunctions (sp−C−S−Cu hybridization bond). The layer‐by‐layer 2D confinement effect successfully avoids structural collapse, the selective transport inhibits the shuttling of active components, and the interfacial sp−C−S−Cu hybridization bond significantly regulates the phase conversion reaction. Such new sp−C−S−Cu hybridization of GDY greatly improves the reaction dynamics and reversibility, and the cathode delivers an energy density of 934 Wh kg−1 and an unattenuated lifespan of 3000 cycles at 1 C. Our results indicate that the GDY‐based interface strategy will greatly promote the efficient utilization of the conversion‐type cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses and seriously affects all aspects of life. Running exercise has been suggested to prevent or alleviate the occurrence and development of depression; however, the underlying mechanisms of these effects remain unclear. Independent studies have indicated that astrocytes play essential roles and that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is an important brain region involved in the pathology underlying depression. However, it is unknown whether running exercise achieves antidepressant effects by affecting the number of astrocytes and glutamate transport function in the mPFC. Here, animal models of depression were established using chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), and depression‐like behavior was assessed by the sucrose preference test. After successfully establishing the depression model, experimental animals performed running exercise. Glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive (GFAP+) cell number in the mPFC was precisely quantified using immunohistochemical and stereological methods, and the densities of bromodeoxyuridine‐positive (BrdU+) and BrdU+/GFAP+ cells in the mPFC were measured using a semiquantitative immunofluorescence assay. Changes in glutamate transporter gene expression in mPFC astrocytes were detected by mRNA sequencing and qRT–PCR. We found that running exercise reversed CUS‐induced decreases in sucrose preference, increased astrocyte number and the density of newborn astrocytes, and reversed decreases in gene expression levels of GFAP, S100b, and the glutamate transporters GLT‐1 and GLAST in the mPFC of CUS animals. These results suggested that changes in astrocyte number and glutamate transporter function may be potential meditators of the effects of running exercise in the treatment of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Green hydrogen energy production from electrocatalysts produced via low‐temperature hydrothermal method with easy preparation and cost effectiveness has attracted attention as an alternative to high‐temperature nitration, phosphide, and sulfonation processes. Hence, in this work with consideration of previous works, we have prepared low temperatures (60°C‐80°C) surfactant assisted copper sulfide (CuS) spherical flower‐like microsphere morphologies with the help of the hydrothermal technique. The product exhibited a single CuS covellite phase at 60°C, whereas the increase in hydrate phase was also observed along with the CuS phase at 70°C and 80°C. SEM and TEM analyses revealed that increase in the size of flower‐like microsphere morphology with the covellite phase was observed with an increase in reaction temperatures. The vibrational mode at 616 and 472 cm−1 confirmed the formation of CuS in FTIR and Raman spectra respectively. The CuS catalyst obtained at 80°C achieved low 176, 199, and 458 mV overpotentials to get 10 mA/cm2 in 1 M KOH of distilled water, 1 M KOH of seawater, and natural seawater compared to other CuS catalysts on account of the higher surface area of 16.19 m2/g. The CuS catalyst prepared at 80°C showed low charge transfer resistance (Rct) at catalyst/seawater interface compared to other catalysts with the retention of 74.1% in natural seawater after 10 h stability examination. Structural and compositional studies of the CuS catalyst prepared at 80°C after 10 h stability examination confirmed white Mg(OH)2 and Ca(OH)2 precipitate formation on CuS surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Interface solar steam generation (ISSG) is a prospective and reliable option for producing freshwater from seawater and industrial wastewater. However, salts and heavy metal ions deposited on photothermal materials (PTMs) will diminish the evaporation rate. Besides, the low evaporation rate will limit the widespread application of ISSG devices. In this work, we exploited a washable CuS‐enhanced light absorption PTM based on polydopamine‐cotton fabric (PDA‐CF), which is abbreviated as CuS‐PDA‐CF. On one hand, CuS‐PDA‐CF is washable and can be cleaned by hand or ultrasonic to remove the deposited salts and renew the photothermal performance. On the other hand, Due to the cooperative contribution of CuS and PDA, the light absorption capacity of CuS‐PDA‐CF is improved to 98.13%, acquiring a 1.50 kg m−2 h−1 water evaporation rate with a 94.49% photothermal efficiency at 1‐solar (1 kW m−2) illumination. Outdoor experiments demonstrate that the solar vapor generator based on CuS‐PDA‐CF can extract freshwater from seawater and industrial wastewater. The cations elimination rate in seawater and industrial wastewater is higher than 99.9%. This work provides an achievable method to fabricate efficiency‐enhanced and washable CF‐based solar evaporators to relieve freshwater scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible energy storage devices are an essential step towards the production of wearable and flexible electronic products. However, the design of flexible electrodes with excellent electrochemical performance still faces enormous challenges. This work reports a fabrication method for flexible electrodes. Specifically, the formation of MC‐CuS‐PGr/PPy nanocomposite films was driven by different interactions (including hydrogen bonds and π–π conjugated bonds). Nanocellulose@carbon nanotube (MC) acted as a flexible substrate and was encapsulated with polypyrrole (PPy), a hydrogen bond active site carrier. MC and PPy were interconnected through hydrogen bonds, and pencil graphite (PGr) was a secondary conductive network that served as a separating layer between CuS and PPy. Driven by the interaction, the nanocomposite film was a stable combination. The strong macromolecular interactions among MC, PPy, and PGr enhance conductivity and cycle life of this nanocomposite films. The water‐based hybrid cell was assembled based on an MC‐CuS‐PGr/PPy nanocomposite film, which exhibited high cyclability (capacity retention of 94.3% after 2000 cycles at 1 Ag−1) and provided an energy density of Wh kg−1 (at a power density of 549.8 W kg−1). This research provides a new idea for preparing new flexible electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite heterostructure photocatalysts can effectively improve photocatalytic performance. For narrow‐bandgap semiconductors, such as Bi2S3, constructing heterostructures with other semiconductors can obviously promote the separation of photogenerated electron−hole pairs and improve their photocatalytic performance. However, some basic and important parts of this technology still require further clarification. Herein, the interface properties of CuS/Bi2S3 heterostructure was studied using density functional theory calculations. The results show that the electronic structure of the interface model shows some different characteristics compared with the bulk and surface models due to the different bonding modes and chemical environments at the interface. At the interface of the CuS/Bi2S3 heterostructure, the band edge of CuS is bent downward relative to Bi2S3 to form a type II heterostructure. In addition, in the equilibrium state, the direction of the built‐in electric field of the heterostructure is from Bi2S3 to CuS. Therefore, the photogenerated electron−hole pairs can be separated by the CuS/Bi2S3 interface, which is extremely advantageous for the improvement of photocatalytic performance. The formation of the CuS/Bi2S3 heterostructure not only broadens the light absorption of CuS but also suppresses the recombination of photogenerated electron−hole pairs of the narrow‐bandgap semiconductor Bi2S3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pilots and crew of domestic flights are exposed to transient periods of mild reductions of partial pressure of inspired oxygen each day, and this might have functional consequence on their performance in the long range. Here, we exposed mice to mild reductions of oxygen exposure (ROE) four times per day for 21 days by lowering oxygen partial pressure to levels corresponding to an altitude of about 2300 m, which is the quote of pressurization of the air cabin. Four groups of mice were studied: unstressed or stressed mice exposed to ROE or normoxic conditions. Mice were exposed to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) for 28 days, and ROE was delivered in the last 21 days of CUS. In normoxic mice, CUS caused anhedonia in the sucrose preference test, anxiety‐like behaviour in the open field test, learning impairment in the Morris water maze, reduced hippocampal neurogenesis, increased serum corticosterone levels and increased expression of depression‐related genes (Pclo, Mthfr and Grm5) in the hippocampus. All these changes were reversed by ROE, which had little or no effect in unstressed mice. These findings suggest that ROE simulating air cabin conditions of domestic flights may enhance resilience to stress improving mood, anxiety and learning ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper sulfide (CuS) is an attractive electrode material for batteries, thanks to its intrinsic mixed conductivity, ductility and high theoretical specific capacity of 560 mAh g−1. Here, CuS is studied as cathode material in lithium solid‐state batteries with an areal loading of 8.9 mg cm−2 that theoretically corresponds to 4.9 mAh cm−2. The configuration of the cell is LiLi3PS4[CuS (70 wt%) + Li3PS4 (30 wt%)]. No conductive additive is used. CuS undergoes a displacement reaction with lithium, leading to macroscopic phase separation between the discharge products Cu and Li2S. In particular, Cu forms a network of micrometer‐sized, well‐crystallized particles that seems to percolate through the electrode. The formed copper is visible to the naked eye. The initial specific discharge capacity at 0.1 C is 498 mAh g(CuS)−1, i.e., 84% of its theoretical value. The initial Coulomb efficiency (ICE) reaches 95%, which is higher compared to standard carbonate‐based liquid electrolytes for the same cell chemistry (≈70%). After 100 cycles, the specific capacity reaches 310 mAh g(CuS)−1. With the current composition, the cell provides 58.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 7 W kg−1, which is superior compared to other transition metal sulfide cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a mental illness which is harmful seriously to the society. This study investigated the effects of fluoxetine on the CNPase+ oligodendrocytes in hippocampus of the depressed rats to explore the new target structure of antidepressants. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were used to build chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) depressed model of rats. Then, the depressed rats were divided into the CUS standard group and the CUS + fluoxetine (CUS/FLX) group. The CUS/FLX group was treated with fluoxetine at dose of 5 mg/(kg·d) from the fifth week to seventh week. After 7 weeks CUS intervention, the sucrose preference of the CUS standard group was significantly lower than that of the control group and the CUS/FLX group. The stereological results showed that the total number of the CNPase+ cells in the CA1, CA3, and DG subfield of the hippocampus in the CUS standard group were significantly decreased, when compared with the CNPase+ cells in the control group. However, the total number of the CNPase+ cells in the CA1 and CA3 subfield of the hippocampus in the CUS standard group was significantly decreased when it compared with CNPase+ cells in the CUS/FLX group. Therefore, fluoxetine might prevent the loss of CNPase+ oligodendrocytes in CA1 and CA3 subfields of hippocampus of the depressed rats. The oligodendrocytes in hippocampus may play an important role in the pathogenesis of depression. The current result might provide structural basis for the future studies that search for new antidepressant strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano CuS with different Cu to S ratio and also Mg‐doped nano CuS are prepared using a thermolysis procedure under nitrogen flows. The effect of changing copper to sulfur ratio in preparation of CuS under flowing nitrogen and also Mg‐doped CuS on the lattice parameters and crystallite size is studied using X‐ray diffraction data by applying the Rietveld profile method. Scanning electron microscope mapping is used to verify the distribution of different elements over undoped and doped CuS samples. Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy spectra confirm that the structure of CuS is not altered by doping or changing of the Cu to S ratio. In order to examine the effect of changes of Cu to S or Mg doping on the absorption behavior of nano CuS, ultraviolet spectroscopy is used. The energy gaps of different samples are determined using Tauc's relation. The photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals that all samples exhibit violet and blue sub‐emissions except a CuS with Cu:S ratio 1:4 which also emits green sub‐emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the hydrothermal method was used for synthesising cellulose acetate (CA) templated nanorods like CuS fibres using vegetable extract (Brassica oleracea var. italica). These extracts act as a reducing agent in the presence of CA. Surprisingly, when the same reaction was carried out in the absence of CA and broccoli extract, structural morphology disappeared and was found as agglomerated. In the presence of cellulose templated extract mediated CuS has revealed as nanorods like fibres and was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope analysis. Their crystallinity property of CuS nanoparticles (NPs) and cellulose templated biosynthesised CuS NPs was analysed and compared using X‐ray diffraction technique. The biological activities of the obtained product were examined for antibacterial assessment against two bacterial strains that include two‐gram negative strains (E.Coli and S. aureus). The nanostructured product found to exhibit excellent antibacterial agent against all the strains. Biosynthesised nanostructure showed its efficacy against A549 lung cancer cells which might attribute to a larger surface to volume ratio of nanorods like fibres. The authors observation suggest that CuS nanorods like fibres can significantly reduce the cell growth with IC50 value of 31.2 μg/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphology controlling has been considered as an important factor for constructing electrochemical catalysts with excellent catalytic activity as confirmed in recent studies. Herein we report a facile solvothermal method in synthesizing CuS@MoS2 nanocomposite with potentially high catalytic activity, of which different morphologies including nanorod (NR), hierarchical hollow nanosphere (HHNS) and solid nanosphere (SNS) can be simply tuned by solvent polarity and template‐precursor ratio. The morphological variation of these composites is believed as a result of the competition between overall free energy and surface free energy. The alternation in composite morphology finally causes a difference of electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2 RR) activities among NR, HNNS and SNS, in which a low onset potential (‐0.35 V vs. RHE) and excellent cycling stability can be achieved. Our results demonstrate a large potentiality of CuS@MoS2 nanohybrid to be applied in CO2 RR once its morphology can be controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal sulfides have received considerable attention for efficient sodium storage owing to their high capacity and decent redox reversibility. However, the poor rate capability and fast capacity decay greatly hinder their practical application in sodium‐ion batteries. Herein, an elegant multi‐step templating strategy has been developed to rationally synthesize hierarchical double‐shelled nanoboxes with the CoS2 nanosheet‐constructed outer shell supported on the CuS inner shell. Their structure and composition enable these hierarchical CuS@CoS2 nanoboxes to show boosted electrochemical properties with high capacity, outstanding rate capability, and long cycle life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Layered transition metal sulfides (LTMSs) have tremendous commercial potential in anode materials for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) in large‐scale energy storage application. However, it is a great challenge for most LTMS electrodes to have long cycling life and high‐rate capability due to their larger volume expansion and the formation of soluble polysulfide intermediates caused by the conversion reaction. Herein, layered CuS microspheres with tunable interlayer space and pore volumes are reported through a cost‐effective interaction method using a cationic surfactant of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The CuS–CTAB microsphere as an anode for SIBs reveals a high reversible capacity of 684.6 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and 312.5 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 after 1000 cycles with high capacity retention of 90.6%. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to the unique structure of this material, and a high pseudocapacitive contribution ensures its high‐rate performance. Moreover, in situ X‐ray diffraction is applied to investigate their sodium storage mechanism. It is found that the long chain CTAB in the CuS provides buffer space, traps polysulfides, and restrains the further growth of Cu particles during the conversion reaction process that ensure the long cycling stability and high reversibility of the electrode material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent diodes formed by a heterojunction between p‐type CuS–ZnS and n‐type ZnO thin films were fabricated by sequential chemical bath deposition and sol‐gel spin coating. The diodes are transparent in the visible (≈70% at 550 nm) and exhibit a good rectifying characteristics, with If/Ir ratios of up to 800 at ±1 V, higher than most of the reported solution‐processed diodes measured at a similar bias. More importantly, when operated as a self‐powered (zero bias) UV photodetector, they show stable and fast (<1 s) photoresponse with a maximum responsivity of 12 mA W−1 at 300 nm. Both the response time and responsivity of the p‐CuZnS/n‐ZnO UV photodiode are comparable or superior to similar solution‐processed devices reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Graphene‐like two‐dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have many unique properties in diverse fields, but the synthesis method of graphene‐like CuS 2D nanomaterials is rarely studied. In this work, we reported that the CuS flower‐like superstructure microspheres with a solid core (CuS‐FSMs) were prepared by a facile hydrolysis method without a template or surfactant. The novel CuS‐FSM material showed a well‐define solid core of approximately 300–500 nm and a loose shell of 0.5–1 μm. More importantly, the loose shell of the CuS‐FSMs was constructed of graphene‐like CuS nanosheets (CuS‐GN). The formation mechanism indicated that the CuS‐FSMs were firstly formed on the surface of hexagonal prism‐shaped Cu3(TAA)3Cl3 precursors, and then the well‐defined solid core was produced through the Ostwald ripening of CuS‐GN. The electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction was employed as a probe reaction to gain insight into the properties of CuS‐FSMs, which exhibited a high limiting current density of 92.4 mA cm−2 and stability in 1 M KOH electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facile growth of CuS nanowires through self-assembly and their application as building blocks for near-infrared light-responsive functional films have been demonstrated. It is found that DNA is a key factor in preparing the CuS material with defined nanostructure. An exclusive oriented self-aggregate growth mechanism is proposed for the growth of the nanowires, which might have important implications for preparing advanced, sophisticated nanostructures based on DNA nanotechnology. By employing the hydrophilic CuS nanowire as an optical absorber and thermosensitive nanogel as guest reservoir inside alginate film, a new platform for the release of functional molecules has been set up. In vitro studies have shown that the hybrid film possesses excellent biocompatibility and the release rate of chemical molecules from the film could be controlled with high spatial and temporal precision. Our novel approach and the resulting outstanding combination of properties may advance both the fields of DNA nanotechnology and light-responsive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of CuS nanostructures were synthesized by a simple wet chemical method on a large scale in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide at low temperature. Three typical samples were selected to study the relationship between the morphologies and resulting physical properties. The optical properties of CuS hierarchical structures were investigated by UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy and the excellent photocatalytic performance was also evaluated by measuring the decomposition rate of methylene blue under natural light. As an absorber, the selected CuS nanostructures possess excellent microwave absorbing properties. When the thickness of the absorber is 3.5 mm, the minimum reflection loss can reach −76.4 dB at 12.64 GHz. The enhanced photocatalytic performance and microwave absorbing properties were also explained based on morphologies of the nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hereby a novel thin film‐based configuration of redox resistive switching memory (ReRAM) based on cheap and abundant copper sulphide (CuS) is reported. The devices working mechanism is based on the junction of two layers of CuS stacked nanocrystal with different stoichiometry (CuS and Cu2−xS). CuS thin films were deposited using a fast, easy and low‐temperature drop‐casting technique. The devices shown memresistive characteristics, with well‐defined ON and OFF resistance states, inducible by voltage pulses. A polynomial model has been proposed to characterise the devices considering both space‐charge‐limited current and ionic diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchically assembled nanorod copper sulfide counter electrodes prepared via an in situ microwave‐assisted strategy which can boost the performance of quantum dot‐sensitized solar cells. The higher efficiency is assigned to the minor charge transfer impedance and higher diffusion coefficient leading to the enhanced current density and fill factor. More details can be found in article number 1801745 by Jia‐Shan Tsai, Khalilalrahman Dehvari, Jia‐Yaw Chang, and co‐workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes preparation of metal sulfide counter electrodes (CEs) through one‐pot microwave‐assisted route to improve power conversion efficiency (PCE) of quantum dot‐sensitized solar cells at a lower cost. The CuS nanorods, Ni0.96S nanoparticles, and PbS nanocubes are synthesized and deposited in situ on fluorine‐doped tin oxide substrate to serve as CEs without further post‐treatment. Effects of several reaction parameters including sulfur precursor (Na2S, C2H5NS, CH4N2S), Cu concentration, reaction time, and choice of cation (Cu, Ni, Pb) on the CEs morphology, electrochemical characteristics, and PCE are studied. Furthermore, nanostructure formation and thin film growth are studied and correlated with PCE, from which morphology‐ and composition‐performance relationships can be inferred. Hierarchically assembled nanorod CuS CEs exhibit higher electrochemical stability in the S2–/Sn2– redox reaction. Together with the efficient charge transfer and higher diffusion coefficient of polysulfide redox at the electrode/electrolyte interface, deduced from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Tafel analyses, a PCE of 8.32% is achieved for the CuS CE. The enhanced photovoltaic performance is ascribed to the 1D CuS nanorods forming a diffusive structure which decreases charge transfer impedance and facilitates regeneration of polysulfide redox leading to a higher short‐circuit current density and fill factor. Hierarchically assembled metal sulfide thin films are prepared via an in situ microwave‐assisted strategy to serve as counter electrodes for quantum dot‐sensitized solar cells. The correlation between structural and electrochemical characteristics is studied. The improved efficiency of copper sulfide hierarchical structure is assigned to minor charge transfer impedance and higher diffusion coefficient leading to enhanced current density and fill factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]