Effect of PVP content on photocatalytic properties of CuSbS2 particles with chemical etching

In the paper, the effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) concentration and chemical wet etching on morphologies and phase composition of CuSbS2 particles synthesized by microwave irradiation method were investigated. The phase structure, morphologies, and optical and photocatalytic properties were analyzed by using characterization techniques. The results showed that the morphology of as-prepared particles was spherical and the shape of particles etched in Na2S solution was tetragonal rod-like structure. The optical band gap of the particles with 1.5 g PVP after chemical etching was about 1.41 eV. The photocatalytic performance of CuSbS2 could be significantly improved after Na2S chemical etching. The amounts of PVP had an obvious influence on specific surface area of as-synthesized CuSbS2 particles. The CuSbS2 particles with 1.5 g PVP had the best photocatalytic performance after chemical etching treatment, and the C/C0 value reached 0.36.