Cu2ZnSnS4 is a promising solar absorbing material in solar cells due to its high absorption coefficient and abundance on earth. We have demonstrated that wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaves could be synthesized through a facile solution-based method. Detailed investigation of the growth process indicates that α-Cu2S nanocrystals are first formed and then serve as a catalyst to introduce the Cu, Zn, and Sn species into the nanoleaf growth for fast ionic conduction. The structure of the as-synthesized nanoleaves is characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, fast Fourier transform, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping. Photoresponses of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaves are evaluated by I-V curves of a Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaf film. It is believed that the enhancement of the photoresponse current of the Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaf film can be attributed to fast carrier transport due to the single crystalline nature and enhanced light absorption resulting from larger absorption areas of the Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoleaves.
Using citric acid (CA) and 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid (NDSA) as the structure-directing agent, a hierarchical flower-like Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 product is successfully prepared via a simple one-step hydrothermal synthesis, which is spirally assembled by the {001} facet-dominated nanosheets. It is testified that the additive CA plays an important inducing role in forming the chemical composition of Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 , the nanosized sheet-type subunits, and the exposure of the {001} facet, while the NDSA greatly improves the dispersity and porous structure of the Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 microflower. Due to the nano-size effect and distortion of surface Bi-O bonds, the Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 microflower could be excited by the visible light to exhibit a superior photocatalytic performance in the degradation of tetracycline (TC). Besides, it is found the exposed {001} facet of Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 would preferentially generate holes during the illumination process, thus enhancing the photooxidative activity of the Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 microflower. Finally, the structural and optical features of the Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 microflower have been discussed in detail, and its photocatalytic mechanism has also been proposed in this work.
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