Degradation of methylene blue with H2O2 over a cupric oxide nanosheet catalyst

Cupric oxide (CuO) nanosheets were prepared by the hydrothermal method with the use of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and were used as the catalyst for the oxidation degradation of methylene blue with H2O2. The effects of temperature, oxidant concentration, and catalyst dosage were evaluated. The catalytic reaction obeyed first order kinetics, and the activation energy was 54 kJ/mol. Although the CuO nanosheets show high activity, their stability and reusability still need improvement. (C) 2013, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier BAT. All rights reserved.