Hydrothermal synthesis and optical properties of CuS nanoplates

CuS nanoplates have been successfully prepared in the presence of cation surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) by hydrothermally treating the solution of CuCl2·2H2O and Na2S·9H2O at 180 °C for 24 h. The as-prepared CuS nanoplates are of hexagonal phase and are single crystal. The thickness and edge length of the nanoplates are about 15 nm and 60 nm, respectively. The products was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence measurements and ultraviolet–visible light spectrophotometer. The influences of synthetic parameters, such as reaction time and CTAB, on the morphologies of the products have been investigated.