A novel photocatalyst and improvement of photocatalytic properties by Cu doping

A new series of photocatalysts, Bi2Zn2/3−xCuxTa4/3O7 (Cu-β-BZT) crystals with pyrochlore structure were synthesized by the method of solid-state reaction (SSR). With small amount of Cu doped (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.04), the phase structure was kept to be monoclinic pyrochlore as pure β-BZT. The diffuse reflectance spectrum of Cu-β-BZT samples showed a red shift. The method of Cu doping enhanced the photocatalytic activity, and when the value of x is 0.03, the sample showed the highest activity, which is about 10 times higher than that of pure β-BZT under UV light. Especially, the samples of Cu-β-BZT showed photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). Effects of the Cu doped on the photocatalytic activities of the catalysts were also discussed.

Research highlightsIn this paper, a novel series of photocatalyst, Bi2Zn2/3−xCuxTa4/3O7 were synthesized by the method of solid-state reaction. The method of copper doping enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst. The effect of Cu was discussed in this paper.