Preparation and characterization of Cu-Cu2O-ZnO nanophotocatalyst for water pollution removal

Photocatalytic processes for water treatment have many advantages. In this search, Cu-Cu2O-ZnO nanocomposite was prepared by chemical method as a photocatalyst for water pollution removal. Firstly, Cu-Cu2O powder was synthesized by heat treatment of synthesized Cu-Cu(OH)2 powder through a chemical reaction of Cu powders. Then, ZnO nanoparticles were fabricated on Cu2O particles by a simple low-temperature sol-gel method. The molar ratio of Zn to Cu in the final product was 0.04. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. According to the XRD results, the formation of crystalline ZnO and Cu2O was confirmed. SEM results showed that the average particle size of Cu2O and ZnO are 32 and 62 nm, respectively. The effects of irradiation time under visible light on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) by Cu-Cu2O-ZnO nanocomposite powder was studied and compared with Cu-Cu2O. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of the Cu-Cu2O-ZnO nanocomposite was higher than that of the Cu-Cu2O particles and the degradation of 10 ppm of the MB solution can reach to about 44% after 2 hours irradiation.