Abstract:The Cu₂S/tetrapod-like ZnO whisker (T-ZnO_w) heterostructures were successfully synthesized via a simple polyol process employing the poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as a surfactant. The as-prepared heterostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The photocatalytic properties of Cu₂S/T-ZnO_w nanocomposites synthesized with different PVP concentrations were evaluated by photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV irradiation. The results show that the Cu₂S/T-ZnO_w nanocomposites exhibit remarkable improved photocatalytic property compared with the pure T-ZnO_w. The sample prepared with 3.0 g/L PVP shows an excellent photocatalytic property and the highest photodegradation rate of MO is 97% after UV irradiation for 120 min. Besides, the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst has no evident decrease even after four cycles, which demonstrates that the Cu₂S/T-ZnO_w photocatalyst exhibits an excellent photostability. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism of the Cu₂S/T-ZnO_w nanocomposites was also discussed.

Key words: Cu₂S/T-ZnO_w heterostructure; photocatalytic property; Cu₂S nanoparticle