Biomolecule-assisted green route to Sb2S3 crystals with three-dimensional dandelionlike patterns

This paper describes a simple biomolecule-assisted solvothermal approach to fabricate the three-dimensional (3D) Sb2S3 microsphere with a wealth of novel morphologies in the presence of L-cysteine, which served as both the sulfur source and the directing molecule in the formation of antimony sulfide nanostructures. The effects of different solvents, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the morphology, structure, and phase composition of the as-prepared Sb2S3 products were discussed. The formation of 3D dandelionlike Sb2S3 microsphere was probably via the mechanism of the orientated aggregation growth of the Sb2S3 particles under the complexing action of L-cysteine, and co-action of the surfactant PVP. The absorption spectra of as-prepared 3D dandelionlike Sb2S3 structures show an optical shoulder band gap of 1.81 eV, which is near to the optimum for photovoltaic conversion.