Facile synthesis of Ag–Cu2O composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

• Ag–Cu2O nanocomposites were synthesized via awet-chemical precipitation route.
• The growth temperature does not exceed 50 °C in any step of the synthesis.
• Enhanced photocurrent of Ag–Cu2O composites, compared to pure Cu2O particles.
• The photocatalytic property was studied upon simulated sunlight.
• Enhanced photocatalytic property of Ag–Cu2O composites, compared to pure Cu2O particles.

Silver–cuprous oxide (Ag–Cu2O) microcomposites are successfully prepared by a facile low-cost solution method. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Experiments demonstrated that the formation of Ag–Cu2O microcomposites was significantly influenced by the concentration of AgNO3, and with increasing the concentration of AgNO3, the optical absorption of the composites becomes strong. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared Ag–Cu2O composites was determined by measuring the degradation of methyl orange solution under visible light, to find out its potential application in waste water treatment. The results reveal that the photocurrent of the composite is about 4 times higher than that of pure Cu2O and the visible light photocatalytic activity of the composite is enhanced greatly on degradation of methyl orange. The reason for improvement in photocatalytic activity of the Ag–Cu2O composites was also discussed.

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