Bifunctional catalysts AC/Cu2O/CuO for removal of organic pollutant with enhanced visible light photocatalysis

A novel floating activated carbon/Cu2O/CuO(AC/Cu2O/CuO) heterojunction was synthesized by chemical method. It was used as new photocatalyst for adsorption simultaneous photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water in visible light. The degradation rate of AC/Cu2O/CuO to the simulated pollutant methyl orange reaches 96.73%. And absorption wavelength of AC/Cu2O/Cu to sunlight extended from 662 nm to 765 nm. The relative molar ratio of Cu2+ to Cu+ affects its photocatalytic activity. When the relative molar ratio of Cu+ to Cu2+ is 1:1, the heterojunction impedance is reduced by 64% and gap width reduced by 0.31 eV. AC/Cu2O/CuO heterojunction improved the dissociation of photo-generated electron-hole pair. Activated carbon has PI bonds that provide fast electron and medium transfer channel. Characterization analysis show AC/Cu2O/CuO heterojunction reduced photocorrosion of Cu2O and the resistance of the carrier transportation improving visible light utilization.

Automated summary

A novel floating activated carbon/Cu2O/CuO heterojunction was synthesized by chemical method, serving as a new photocatalyst for the simultaneous adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in water under visible light. The relative molar ratio of Cu2+ to Cu+ was found to impact the photocatalytic activity, with a 1:1 ratio leading to improved heterojunction impedance and gap width reduction. Characterization analysis showed that the AC/Cu2O/CuO heterojunction could reduce photocorrosion of Cu2O and enhance visible light utilization by improving carrier transportation resistance.