Facile Synthesis of Rod-Shaped Bi2S3 by Microwave Irradiation of Single Source Precursor

One-dimensional nanostructures have been the focus of recent research interests because they possess high aspect ratio. In this study, bismuth sulphide nanorods have been synthesized via a simple microwave irradiation of bismuth dithiocarbamate complex in ethylene glycol (EG) and N, N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) solvents. The optical properties of the nanorods was studied by UV-vis spectroscopy, and the structural characterization was carried out using powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The XRD patterns indicated cubic phase, and the TEM analysis confirmed rod-like morphology with mean diameter of about 60 nm and irregular lengths. The role of the solvents on the nanostructures was discussed, and the band gap energies were estimated from Tauc plot. The synthesized bismuth sulphide nanorods exhibited quantum confinement effect. The synthesis approach via microwave irradiation of single source precursor is facile and efficient, thus promotes the production of large scale Bi2S3 nanorods by an environmentally friendly approach.