Synthesis of flower-like CuS/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites with significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract The flower-like CuS/RGO composites were fabricated via a facile one-step solvothermal method, which displayed outstanding photocatalytic activity for MB degradation. The composition and structure of the prepared composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–vis optical absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that RGO had significantly influence on the photocatalytic performance. Compared with pristine CuS, flower-like CuS/RGO composites exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity and excellent recyclability for the photodegradation of Methylene blue (MB) with degradation efficiency of nearly 100% in 140min under Xenon lamp irradiation, which was 4 times greater than that of CuS, indicating that CuS/RGO could be acknowledged as a promising photocatalyst for the removal of organic contaminants.