Bi2WO6/Cu0: A novel coupled system with enhanced photocatalytic activity by Fenton-like synergistic effect

A novel coupled system of Bi2WO6/Cu0 was successfully designed which combined two different advanced oxidation processes of photocatalysis and Fenton-like for degradation of organic contaminants. The degradation rate of phenol by nanosized Bi2WO6/Cu0 was three times higher than that by bare Bi2WO6. The synergistic effect between Bi2WO6 and Cu0 played a crucial role in the enhancement of photocatalytic activity. Moreover, this coupled system exhibited excellent photocatalytic stability and no derivative of Cu0 was found. The effects of the amount of Cu0 on improving the catalytic performance were also investigated and the possible mechanism of the synergistic system was proposed.

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► Bi2WO6/Cu0 was prepared to couple the photocatalysis and the Fenton-like oxidation.
► The degradation rate of the Bi2WO6/Cu0 was three times higher than that of bare Bi2WO6.
► The good stability for organic pollutant degradation was retained.