The surfactant-free synthesis of hollow CuS nanospheres via clean Cu2O templates and their catalytic oxidation of dye molecules with H2O2

Abstract

Hollow copper monosulfide (CuS) nanospheres were synthesized by using copper(I) oxide nanoaggregates as sacrificial templates with thioacetamide in the absence of surfactants by a one-pot method. The hollow CuS nanospheres that are ∼100 nm in diameter with a clean surface were obtained via Kirkendall effect. These hollow nanospheres were well characterized and used as catalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine B and methylene blue with hydrogen dioxide. It was revealed by the catalytic results that these CuS nanospheres were highly efficient catalysts for dye degradation in the darkness, possibly due to the hollow structure and clean surface.