Preparation of spindly CuO micro-particles for photodegradation of dye pollutants under a halogen tungsten lamp

Spindly cupric oxide (CuO) micro-particles were synthesized using Cu(NO3)2, hexamethylenetetramine, and NaOH solutions at 95 °C. The spindly CuO particles had a shape similar to a carambola of ∼1 μm in length and 300 nm in width. They were composed of nanosheets with a thickness of ∼5 nm. Such particles could be used in the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B in the presence of ∼0.01 M H2O2. Under irradiation by a 100 W halogen tungsten lamp, the CuO showed photocatalytic activities higher than those of P25 and commercially available CuO powder. They were very stable and could be recycled without considerable loss of activity. Other dye and organic pollutants such as methyl orange, methylene blue, erosin B, and p-nitrophenol could also be photodecomposed under identical conditions. These characteristics show the practical applications of the CuO particles in environmental remediation.

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► Spindly CuO microparticles were prepared for the first time.
► They exhibited excellent photocatalytic activities under the visible-light.
► The particles could be used for the photodegradation of various dye pollutants.
► H2O2 was first introduced to enhance the photocatalytic activity of CuO.