LAUSR

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is a narrow band gap, non-toxic, environmentally friendly semiconductor photocatalytic material. Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method at different temperatures. XRD and Raman results showed that CZTS with a high crystallinity kesterite structure was successfully prepared. Photoelectrochemical tests showed that CZTS was a p-type semiconductor with a band gap of 1.5 eV, and its photocurrent density could attain 0.3271μA/cm2. It was found that CZTS had a good photocatalytic activity on RhB by photocatalyzing Rhodamine B (RhB) with CZTS nanoparticles under visible light. The degradation efficiency of RhB by CZTS reached 98.20% within 90 min and the degradation rate was about 0.02905 min-1. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism of CZTS was studied through free radical capture experiments, and the results showed that photo-generated electrons could reacted with O2 and H2O in the solution to ·OH which degraded RhB into H2O and CO2.