Copper Sulfide Nanostructures and Their Optical Properties
Summary
Copper sulfide nanostructures encompass a family of p-type semiconductors with stoichiometries ranging from CuS (covellite) to Cu₂S (chalcocite), exhibiting band gaps between approximately 1.0 and 2.5 eV. Their tunable morphology—encompassing nanoparticles, nanorods, nanotubes and thin films—arises from a variety of synthesis routes, including chemical bath deposition, pulsed‐laser deposition, hydrothermal growth and chemical conversion. Optical properties are governed by quantum‐size effects, phase composition and doping, leading to modulated absorption edges, photoluminescence signatures and plasmonic resonances in the near-infrared. These characteristics underpin applications in photovoltaics, photocatalysis, photodetectors and emerging biophotonic technologies. Surface morphology and crystalline phase control enable precise band-gap engineering, while doping or composite architectures further extend light-harvesting across the visible and NIR. Recent advances have emphasised scalable deposition methods, enhanced stability under illumination and integration into photoelectrochemical assemblies, highlighting the global significance of copper sulfide nanostructures in sustainable energy conversion and optoelectronic devices.
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Copper Sulfide Nanostructures and Their Optical Properties publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in copper sulfide nanostructures and their optical properties across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Nanostructure: A material feature with at least one dimension below 100 nm, exhibiting size-dependent properties.
Band gap energy: The energy difference between valence and conduction bands determining light absorption onset.
Photoluminescence: Emission of light following photoexcitation, used to probe electronic transitions and defects.
Quantum confinement: Discrete energy levels arising when charge carriers are confined in dimensions comparable to their de Broglie wavelength.
Plasma oscillation: Collective oscillation of free charge carriers that gives rise to plasmonic absorption in the infrared.
References
- Cu x S films as photoelectrodes for visible-light water splitting. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing (2024).
- Synthesis, characterization, and anti-cancer activity evaluation of Ba-doped CuS nanostructures synthesized by the co-precipitation method. RSC Advances (2025).
- Near-infrared radiation absorption properties of covellite (CuS) using first-principles calculations. AIP Advances (2016).
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