XRD plots of Sb2S3 NPs synthesized by different methods
Abstract:
Present article highlights tailored synthesis of Sb2S3 nanoclusters (NCs) by thermal, sono-chemical and microwave methods. UV-Visible spectroscopy of as-synthesized NCs revealed absorption in visible region (480-570 nm) suggesting its applicability as good natural sunlight (visible light) photo-catalyst. Owing to its absorbance in the visible region, the NCs were analyzed for their photocatalytic activity against Indigo Carmine (IC) dye. The advanced oxidative degradation of IC showed promising results and it is observed that thermally synthesized Sb2S3 NCs were found to be much efficient than those synthesized by sono-chemical and microwave methods. Effectiveness of the thermally synthesized Sb2S3 NCs was also studied for the degradation of secondary explosive [2,4,6-trinitro toluene (TNT)] which was completely degraded within 60 minutes of natural sunlight irradiation suggesting efficient conversion of harmful explosives to other harmless products.
Keywords:
Sb2S3 nanoparticles, Indigo Carmine (IC), Trinitrotoluene (TNT), photocatalysis