Investigation of different factors towards synthesis of CuS spherical nanoparticles

Spherical CuS nanocrystals were synthesised via reflux (R) and hydrothermal (H) methods using copper acetate monohydrate (Cu (ac)2·H2O) and thioacetamide as precursors. This process was carried out in the absence and presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) surfactants. The products were characterised by using the methods of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray and transmission electron microscopy. According to XRD results, nanoparticles with the size of 16–23 nm were obtained. The effects of surfactant type, reaction time and reaction temperature on the morphology, yield, size and phase of the obtained products were investigated. According to this study, CTAB was more appropriate than SDS in obtaining uniform and spherical CuS nanoparticles.