LAUSR

PbS nanopowder doped with Ag+ ions was synthesized by a cost effective chemical method using lead nitrate, thiourea and silver nitrate as the precursor salts. Thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, photoluminescence were used to characterize the samples. XRD studies reveal that all the samples exhibit cubic crystal structure with a strong preferential growth along the (2 0 0) plane. Cauliflower shaped nanostructures are visible from the SEM images. FTIR studies confirm the presence of peaks related to heteropolar diatomic molecule of lead sulfide for all the samples. The photocatalytic activity of pure PbS got enhanced with silver doping and PbS:Ag nanopowders could be used as an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of methyl orange. Ag+ ions seem to dominate the antifungal efficiency of pure PbS. The results obtained confirm that PbS:Ag nanopowders are well suited for biomedical applications.