Rapid synthesis of Bi2S3 nanocrystals with different morphologies by microwave heating

Single-crystalline Bi2S3 nanocrystals with urchinlike and rod-like morphologies have been successfully synthesized using Bi2O3, HCl, Na2S2O3 and ethylene glycol (EG) by a simple and fast microwave heating method. Both urchinlike and rod-like Bi2S3 nanostructures could be formed under microwave heating at 190 °C for 30 s. Urchin-like Bi2S3 nanostructures were prepared using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or in the absence of any surfactant. However, Bi2S3 nanorods were obtained in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction (ED) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectra.