Photocatalytic activity of hierarchical CuO microspheres synthesized by facile reflux condensation method

• Flower-shaped hierarchical CuO microspheres prepared by reflux condensation method
• SEM showed flower-shaped CuO microspheres made of interpenetrating nanosheets
• Photocatalytic activity evaluated using methyl orange and methylene blue dyes
• Effect of H2O2 and initial dye concentrations was investigated
• Flower-shaped CuO microspheres exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity

Flower-shaped hierarchical CuO microspheres consisting of interpenetrating nanosheets were successfully synthesized by reflux condensation method without using any surfactant or templates. X-ray diffraction revealed the formation of single phase CuO exhibiting monoclinic crystal structure. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the formation of hierarchical flower-shaped CuO microspheres made up of nanosheets as building blocks. UV–vis diffused reflectance spectroscopy showed a steep absorption between 700 and 950 nm, and the corresponding band gap of CuO nanoparticles was found to be 1.59 eV. To explore the potential capability of flower-shaped CuO microspheres for wastewater treatment, the photocatalytic activity of CuO nanostructures was evaluated by monitoring the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) dyes in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under UV light irradiation. Experimental results demonstrated that CuO hierarchical architecture possesses good photocatalytic activity towards MO and MB dyes, indicating the feasibility of using CuO for the effective removal of organic contaminants from wastewater.

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