A pyrazolyl-based thiolato single-source precursor for the selective synthesis of isotropic copper-deficient copper(I) sulfide nanocrystals: synthesis, optical and photocatalytic activity

Hexagonal copper-deficient copper(I) sulfide (Cu2-x S, x = 0.03, 0.2) nanocrystals (NCs) are synthesized from a newly prepared single-source precursor (SP), [Cu(bdpa)(2)][CuCl2], where bdpa is benzyl 3,5-dimethyl-pyrazole-1-carbodithioate. The SP is crystallized with space group PA << and possesses a distorted tetrahedron structure with a CuN2S2 chromophore where the central copper is in +1 oxidation state. Distortion in copper(I) structure and the low decomposition temperature of SP make it favorable for the low-temperature solvent-assisted selective growth of high-copper content sulfides. The nucleation and growth of Cu2-x S (x = 0.03, 0.2) are effectively controlled by the SP and the solvent in the solvothermal decomposition process. During decomposition, fragment benzyl thiol (PhCH2SH) from SP effectively passivates the nucleus leading to spherical nanocrystals. Further, solvent plays an important role in the selective thermochemical transformation of Cu-I-complex to Cu2-x S (x = 0.03, 0.2) NCs. The chelating binders (solvent) like ethylene diamine (EN) and ethylene glycol (EG) prefer to form spherical Cu1.97S nanoparticles (djurleite), whereas nonchelating hydrazine hydrate (HH) shows the tendency to furnish hexagonal platelets of copper-deficient Cu1.8S. The optical band gap values (2.25-2.50 eV) show quantum confinement effect in the structure. The synthesized NCs display excellent catalytic activity (similar to 87 %) toward photodegradation of organic dyes like Congo Red (CR) and Methylene Blue (MB). A pyrazolyl-based thiolato single-source precursor for the selective synthesis of isotropic copper-deficient copper(I) sulfide nanocrystals: Synthesis, optical and photocatalytic activity. Gopinath Mondal, Ananyakumari Santra, Pradip Bera, Moumita Acharjya, Sumanta Jana, Dipankar Chattopadhyay, Anup Mondal, Sang Il Seok, Pulakesh Beraclos