Synthesis of flower-like CuS/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites with significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance

The flower-like CuS/RGO composites were fabricated via a facile one-step solvothermal method, which displayed outstanding photocatalytic activity for MB degradation. The composition and structure of the prepared composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis optical absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that RGO had significantly influence on the photocatalytic performance. Compared with pristine CuS, flower-like CuS/RGO composites exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity and excellent recyclability for the photodegradation of Methylene blue (MB) with degradation efficiency of nearly 100% in 140min under Xenon lamp irradiation, which was 4 times greater than that of CuS, indicating that CuS/RGO could be acknowledged as a promising photocatalyst for the removal of organic contaminants. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.