Synthesis and characterization of Cu2O/ZnO heterojunction for photocatalytic removal of methylene blue

IF 3.8 2区材料科学 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Vacuum Pub Date : 2025-06-06 DOI:10.1016/j.vacuum.2025.114482

Jayaprakash Avinash, S.P. Vijaya Chamundeeswari

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In this work, a Cu₂O/ZnO heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized via an in-situ precipitation method and characterized to assess its potential for photocatalytic dye degradation under visible light irradiation. Structural analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the crystalline phases of Cu₂O and ZnO, while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) verified the presence of functional groups and elemental states, respectively. Morphological investigations using FESEM and TEM revealed the uniform anchoring of ZnO nanoparticles on Cu₂O microcubes, facilitating effective heterojunction formation. UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) indicated that the Cu₂O/ZnO composite exhibited a narrowed band gap, enabling superior visible-light absorption compared to its pristine counterparts. Photocatalytic tests demonstrated a degradation efficiency of 73.3 % for MB within 60 min of visible-light, significantly outperforming individual Cu₂O and ZnO. The study provides valuable insights into the interfacial charge dynamics and highlights a promising strategy for improving photocatalytic efficiency via heterostructure.

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光催化去除亚甲基蓝用Cu2O/ZnO异质结的合成与表征

本文采用原位沉淀法合成了一种Cu2O/ZnO异质结光催化剂，并对其进行了表征，以评估其在可见光下光催化降解染料的潜力。x射线衍射（XRD）分析证实了Cu2O和ZnO的结晶相，傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）和x射线光电子能谱（XPS）分别证实了官能团和元素态的存在。利用FESEM和TEM进行的形态学研究表明，ZnO纳米颗粒在Cu2O微立方上均匀锚定，促进了有效的异质结形成。紫外-可见漫反射光谱（UV-DRS）表明，与原始材料相比，Cu2O/ZnO复合材料具有更窄的带隙，能够更好地吸收可见光。光催化测试表明，在可见光下60分钟内，MB的降解效率为73.3%，显著优于单独的Cu2O和ZnO。该研究为界面电荷动力学提供了有价值的见解，并强调了通过异质结构提高光催化效率的有前途的策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Vacuum 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

17.50%

发文量

审稿时长

34 days

期刊介绍： Vacuum is an international rapid publications journal with a focus on short communication. All papers are peer-reviewed, with the review process for short communication geared towards very fast turnaround times. The journal also published full research papers, thematic issues and selected papers from leading conferences. A report in Vacuum should represent a major advance in an area that involves a controlled environment at pressures of one atmosphere or below. The scope of the journal includes: 1. Vacuum; original developments in vacuum pumping and instrumentation, vacuum measurement, vacuum gas dynamics, gas-surface interactions, surface treatment for UHV applications and low outgassing, vacuum melting, sintering, and vacuum metrology. Technology and solutions for large-scale facilities (e.g., particle accelerators and fusion devices). New instrumentation ( e.g., detectors and electron microscopes). 2. Plasma science; advances in PVD, CVD, plasma-assisted CVD, ion sources, deposition processes and analysis. 3. Surface science; surface engineering, surface chemistry, surface analysis, crystal growth, ion-surface interactions and etching, nanometer-scale processing, surface modification. 4. Materials science; novel functional or structural materials. Metals, ceramics, and polymers. Experiments, simulations, and modelling for understanding structure-property relationships. Thin films and coatings. Nanostructures and ion implantation.