Facile synthesis of an urchin-like Sb(2)S(3) nanostructure with high photocatalytic activity

Herein, an urchin-like Sb(2)S(3) nanostructure has been synthesized without a surfactant via a wet chemical method. The crystal structure, morphology, composition and optical properties were characterized using XRD, TEM, SEM, EDS, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance absorption spectroscopy. The factors, including the reaction time, temperature, and ratio of the raw materials, influencing the evolution of the urchin-like morphology have been discussed, and a plausible formation mechanism for the urchin-like Sb(2)S(3) has been proposed. The urchin-like Sb(2)S(3) micro/nanostructure exhibits high catalytic performance towards the degradation of MB under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation ratio of MB is up to 99.32% under visible light irradiation of 130 min. Our synthesis method will be extended to prepare other photocatalysts.