Enhanced photocatalytic activity of flowerlike Cu2O/Cu prepared using solvent-thermal route

Cu2O/Cu nanocomposites (NCs) with flowerlike nano-architecture were prepared using template-free stepwise solvent-thermal synthesis route with Cu(NO3)2·3H2O as a precursor. With the precursor concentration increasing gradually from 0.01 to 0.1 M, the morphology of the NCs evolves from nano-flower to microsphere. The content of Cu in the NCs can be easily controlled by adjusting the concentration of precursor and synthesis time. Using photocatalytic degradation of monoazo dye Procion Red MX-5B (PR) and phenol as the probe molecules under visible-light illumination, we have investigated the influence of Cu on the photocatalytic activity of Cu2O. When the content of Cu lies in the range of 27–71 wt%, the samples exhibit higher photocatalytic performance, indicating that these flowerlike Cu2O/Cu NCs are promising candidates for pollutant processing.

Research highlights▶ Template-free stepwise solvent-thermal method as synthesis route. ▶ The content of Cu is controlled by precursor concentration and synthesis time. ▶ Flowerlike NCs exhibit excellent performance. ▶ Cu/Cu2O interfaces play an important role in photocatalytic activity.