Constructing an ohmic junction of copper@ cuprous oxide nanocomposite with plasmonic enhancement for photocatalysis

A novel ohmic junction Cu@Cu2O photocatalyst with plasmonic enhancement had been successfully obtained by NaBH4 reduction, which exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for the catalytic oxi-dation of nitric oxide (NO) and catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2). The desirable photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the efficient interfacial charge separation and the high light absorption capacity induced by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Cu nanoparticles in the Cu@Cu2O pho-tocatalyst. To better understand why this catalyst has satisfying stability and photocatalytic performance for the removal of NO and photocatalytic reduction of CO2, a series of characterization methods was used to investigate the physical composition, structure, and optical properties of the sample in detail. Then, the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers of the catalyst was investigated by time-resolved photoluminescence spectra, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and photocurrent density. In addition, Finite-Different-Time-Domain (FDTD) simulation and Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP) were adopted to confirm the Cu-induced LSPR effect, the electric field enhancement, and the band structure of the catalyst, respectively. Moreover, the ohmic junction structure has been verified by the calculation results of work function and charge density difference. Finally, a reasonable plasmonic ohmic junction photocatalytic mechanism was proposed and verified by the simulation and experiments. (C) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A novel ohmic junction Cu@Cu2O photocatalyst with plasmonic enhancement was successfully obtained by NaBH4 reduction, showing excellent photocatalytic performance for the catalytic oxidation of nitric oxide (NO) and catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2). The desirable performance can be attributed to efficient interfacial charge separation and high light absorption induced by the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Cu nanoparticles. Various characterization methods were used to investigate the composition, structure, and optical properties of the sample. The separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers was studied, and simulation and experiments confirmed the plasmonic ohmic junction photocatalytic mechanism.