Ternary self-assembly method of mesoporous silica and Cu2O combined graphene composite by nonionic surfactant and photocatalytic degradation of cationic-anionic dye pollutants

A facile and eco-friendly self-assembly method for combining mesoporous silica with Cu2O-graphene composite with a nonionic surfactant Pluronic® P123 is proposed. The achieved nanocomposites were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms using the BET and BJH method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and FT-IR spectra. The photocatalytic degradation of safranine O (SO), texbrite BA-L (TBA), texbrite NFW-L (TNFW), and texbrite BAC-L (TBAC) organic dyes in an aqueous solution under visible light irradiation with the difference of initial pH and catalyst dosage was observed via UV spectrophotometry, after measuring the decrease in their concentrations. Two factors of the excellent photocatalytic activity of the mesoporous SiO2/Cu2O-graphene composite made a significant impression: the adsorption capacity due to the mesoporous structure (a result of the pore diameter, pore volume, and large surface area), and the decomposition effect through catalysis. Recycling experiments that were also carried out proved the good stability of the survey samples. The combination of mesoporous SiO2 with 10% Cu2O-graphene nanocomposite (by weight) is expected to become a new generation material for photodegradation with excellent performance.