A facile route to (ZnS)x(CuInS2)1−x hierarchical microspheres with excellent water-splitting ability

A series of (ZnS)x(CuInS2)1−x hierarchical micro/nano-structured solid solutions with precisely controlled chemical composition were synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal method. ZnO, Cu2O, and In(OH)3 are used as the starting materials and dissolved in ethanol dithiocarbamic acid which is formed from CS2 and ethanolamine in situ. The ethanol dithiocarbamic acid not only serves as a thermally-degradable ligand, but also acts as sulfur source during synthesis, and can be completely removed by a simple calcination process. As-prepared (ZnS)x(CuInS2)1−x microspheres have a hierarchical micro/nano structure composed of around 7 nm nanoparticles. These samples show excellent photocatalytic H2 evolution activity under visible-light irradiation without any noble metal loading owing to their high surface area (as high as 101.6 m2 g−1) and unique hierarchical structure.