Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10407105 | Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing | 2016 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
Here we report the photocatalytic efficiency of CuO and Cu2O nanowires studied by dye degradation in water. The CuO nanowires were synthesized on Cu foils by thermal oxidation. A subsequent thermal annealing induced a controllable phase transformation of the nanowires and the underlying film from CuO to Cu2O phase. A structural characterization was made by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, energy dispersive x-ray analysis and x-ray diffraction. The photocatalytic performances were evaluated by the degradation of two dyes in water: methylene blue and methyl orange. In particular, CuO nanowires showed a good photocatalytic activity in degrading methyl orange, compared with Cu2O nanowires. The photocatalytic activity was correlated to the physical-chemical properties of the samples, revealing the detrimental effect of the polycrystalline structure for photocatalytic process.
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Authors
V. Scuderi, G. Amiard, S. Boninelli, S. Scalese, M. Miritello, P.M. Sberna, G. Impellizzeri, V. Privitera,