Facile synthesis of size-tunable CuO/graphene composites and their high photocatalytic performance

•Leaf-like CuO/GNS nanocomposites with tunable size was prepared via hydrothermal method.•With increase of stirring temperature, the surface area becomes larger.•The morphology of nanocomposites plays an important role in photocatalysis.

Size-tunable leaf-like copper oxide modified by graphene nanosheets was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. Stirring temperature control during synthesis was found to be important in effectively controlling the size of CuO nanoparticles, with smaller size CuO nanoparticles produced by increasing the stirring temperature. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, TEM, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption. The nanocomposites exhibited better catalytic activity than pure CuO toward the degradation of rhodamine B in the presence of H2O2 under visible light irradiation. The catalytic performance was improved with decreasing particle size of the nanocomposites, which was attributed to the increased in the rate of interelectron transfer at the interface.

Graphical abstractA novel leaf-like CuO/graphene nanosheet (GNS) with tunable size was prepared by a facile hydrothermal process, and the stirring temperature in synthesis was found to be effective for controlling its size.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide