Ag₂S/ZnS core–shell composite microspheres were successfully synthesized via a simple two-step hydrothermal process, in which Ag⁺ ions might replace Zn²⁺ ions on the surface of ZnS microspheres via an ion exchange, and subsequently form Ag₂S nucleus on the surface of the microspheres. The effect of Ag₂S content on the structure, morphology and optical properties of the material was studied in detail. We found that the photocatalytic efficiency of Ag₂S/ZnS composites for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution is much higher than that of pure ZnS or Ag₂S under solar-simulated light irradiation, which is considered that the combination of a narrow band gap with a wide band gap semiconductor can timely transfer photogenerated electron–hole pairs and rapidly separate photogenerated electrons and holes. Moreover, the catalytic activities of the 4%Ag₂S/ZnS sample for oxidation and decomposition of RhB with the assistance of hydrogen peroxide are enhanced with an increase of the degradation efficiency from 68.8 to 90.0% at room temperature.

通过简单的两步水热法成功合成了Ag ₂ S / ZnS核-壳复合微球，其中Ag ⁺离子可通过离子交换代替ZnS微球表面的Zn ²⁺离子，随后形成Ag ₂ S微球表面的核。详细研究了Ag ₂ S含量对材料结构，形貌和光学性能的影响。我们发现，Ag ₂ S / ZnS复合材料对罗丹明B（RhB）水溶液的光催化效率远高于纯ZnS或Ag ₂在太阳模拟的光照射下，S被认为是窄带隙与宽带隙半导体的结合可以及时转移光生电子-空穴对并迅速分离光生电子和空穴。此外，在室温下，4％Ag ₂ S / ZnS样品在过氧化氢的辅助下，对RhB的氧化和分解的催化活性增强，降解效率从68.8％提高到90.0％。