Microwave fabrication of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle and its visible light photocatalytic properties

Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle with an average diameter of approximately 31 nm has been successfully synthesized by a time effective microwave fabrication method. The crystal structure, surface morphology, and microstructure of the Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle were characterized. Moreover, the visible light photocatalytic ability of the Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle toward degradation of methylene blue (MB) was also studied. About 30% of MB was degraded after 240 min irradiation when employing Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle as a photocatalyst. However, almost all MB was decomposed after 90 min irradiation when introducing a small amount of H2O2 as a co-photocatalyst. The enhancement of the photocatalytic performance was attributed to the synergetic effect between the Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle and H2O2. The detailed photocatalytic degradation mechanism of MB by the Cu2ZnSnS4 was further proposed.