Abstract
The 14-pods Cu(7)S(4) hollow microcages wholly exposed with nanotwinned building blocks were successfully prepared by an ethanol-assisted sacrificial Cu(2)O template approach. Its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) was determined. The results suggest that the Cu(7)S(4) microcages with nanotwinned building blocks possess higher catalytic activity than the Cu(7)S(4) microcages without the nanotwinned structures, suggesting that the special nanotwinned components can improve the catalytic performance of the multipod framework. Further investigate reveals that the nanotwins inside the Cu(7)S(4) microcages can facilite the transport of free charges, decrease the recombination of photoinduced electrons and holes, and elongate the lifetime of the electron-hole pairs. Our work will provide powerful evidence that the nanotwinned building blocks of the synthesized Cu(7)S(4) microcages play a crucial role for the high catalytic activity.