Oxidative degradation of Rhodamine B by Ag@CuO nanocomposite activated persulfate

In this study, the Ag@CuO nanocomposite was prepared by a simple chemical reaction, and successfully used as a persulfate activator in the oxidative degradation of Rhodamine B (RHB). The micromorphology, crystal structure, elemental composition and content, and chemical state of Ag@CuO nanocomposite were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray energy spectrum analysis (EDS), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The activator possesses a minor particle agglomeration. The degradation efficiency and degradation kinetics of RHB were investigated by different catalysts activated per sulfate and at different temperatures. The results revealed that the Ag@CuO nanocomposite has better catalytic activity for the activation of persulfate potassium to degrade RHB than the contrastive activators. The oxidative degradation of RHB is a pseudo-first order reaction, and the higher temperature is benefit for the RHB degradation. The Ag@CuO nanocomposite presented a long-term stability through the cycle experiment in the degradation of RHB.