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Metal chalcogenide copper sulfide nanoparticles exhibit a broad spectrum of applications, encompassing solar cells, photovoltaics, optical devices, ionic materials and more. In this investigation, CuS nanoparticles were synthesized through a facile co-precipitation method. The synthesis involved employing copper sulfate and thiourea as precursors for Cu and S, respectively. Quantitative analysis, confirming the presence of Cu–S and S–S bonds, was conducted through Raman spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to ascertain the structural phases. The semiconducting behavior of the synthesized CuS nanoparticles was studied through UV–Vis spectroscopy, correlating optical absorption and energy bandgap. The comprehensive findings suggest that the prepared CuS nanoparticles hold promise for advancements in photovoltaic technology and optical devices.

A novel strategy toward one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of copper sulfide nanoplates-decorated reduced graphene oxide (RGO–CuS) composites was developed. CuS nanoplates were successfully loaded onto the surface of RGO in the hydrothermal procedure, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis–NIR and Raman spectroscopy. The as-synthesized RGO–CuS composites showed pronounced enhanced optical absorbance in near infrared (NR) region and higher photothermal conversion efficiency than noncomposite GO and CuS nanoplates. The RGO–CuS materials were used in photothermal ablation of cancer cells with a 980nm laser irradiation and showed improved performance than CuS nanoplates.

In this study, CuS/SiO₂ composite modified aerogel was prepared by the incorporation of hollow spherical CuS into methyltrimethoxysilane-based SiO₂ sol and modification with hexadecafluorodecyltriethoxysilane via acid-base catalyzed sol–gel reaction and drying under ambient pressure. The CuS/SiO₂ composite modified aerogel was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, scanning electron microscope (SEM), nitrogen gas adsorption and desorption and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The effects of CuS and fluorosilane concentration on density and porosity of aerogel, oleophobic and photocatalytic properties were evaluated. The results showed that structure and physical properties of aerogel had some effect by introducing CuS and fluorosilane, and the CuS/SiO₂ composite modified aerogel with density of 0.146g/cm³ and specific surface area of 241m²/g achieved super-oleophobicity with oil contact angle of 152.8^∘ and sliding angle of 10^∘, and good photocatalytic properties for methylene blue.

Three kinds of hierarchical CuS microflowers composed of thin nanosheets have been synthesized by a simple wet chemical method. It is shown that the CuS microflowers provide suitable substrates to grow nickel nanocrystals. The prepared Ni@CuS hybrids combined with conductive glass (FTO) have been used as counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The electrode made of the active material of Ni@CuS microflowers with sparsest petals show an optimal photoelectric conversion efficiency of 4.89%, better than those made of single component of Ni (3.39%) or CuS (1.65%), and other two Ni@CuS composites. The improved performances could be ascribed to the synergetic effect of the catalytic effect towards I${}_3^{-}$/I${}^{-}$ from sparse CuS hierarchical structure and uniformly grown Ni nanocrystals. Besides, the introduced Ni nanocrystals could increase the conductivity of the hybrid and facilitate the transport of electrons. The hybrid Ni@CuS composites serving as counter electrodes have much enhanced electrochemical properties, which provide a feasible route to develop high-active non-noble hybrid counter electrode materials.