Fabrication and photocatalytic property of CuO nanosheets via a facile solution route

Two-dimensional (2D) CuO nanosheets were fabricated on Cu foils using a solution method. The method was novel, easy and can be completed at room temperature in the absence of any surfactant. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The effects of reaction time and temperature on the morphology and formation of CuO nanosheets were investigated, and a possible mechanism for the formation of CuO nanosheets was proposed. Experiments demonstrated that the formation of CuO nanosheets were significantly influenced by the growth time, and the reaction temperature was a key factor in determining the size of CuO nanosheets. Photocatalytic performance of CuO nanosheets was evaluated by measuring the decomposition rate of methyl orange solution. About 93% of the methyl orange was degraded after 150 min, which was much more efficient than that of CuO nanoparticles. (C) 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim