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Self‐Assembly Growth and Photocatalytic Performance of Nanostructured Copper Compounds
Author(s) -
Jiang Tingting,
Wang Yongqian,
Meng Dawei,
Kong Junhan,
Jia Hanxiang,
Wang Zhengshu
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
european journal of inorganic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1099-0682
pISSN - 1434-1948
DOI - 10.1002/ejic.201500563
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , chemistry , annealing (glass) , band gap , chemical engineering , nanowire , copper , absorption spectroscopy , nanotechnology , visible spectrum , degradation (telecommunications) , spectroscopy , materials science , optoelectronics , catalysis , metallurgy , optics , organic chemistry , telecommunications , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , engineering
Flowerlike CuO structures were synthesized by a simple chemical method. These 3D structures are formed by self‐assembly growth of smaller nanosheets as basic building units. Their crystalline phase, morphology, and optical properties were characterized by XRD, field‐emission SEM, and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy. The effect of annealing on the morphology and properties of nanostructured Cu(OH) 2 /CuO was also investigated. The obtained CuO nanosheets with highly energetic (111) facets have excellent capacity for absorbing visible light, and their band‐gap energies, which were evaluated from the UV/Vis spectrum, range from 1.33 to 1.70 eV. Hence, their photocatalytic performance in the degradation of methyl blue (MB) was evaluated, and the highest photocatalytic degree of degradation of MB was 93.3 %. Further, the growth mechanism of the transformation from Cu(OH) 2 nanowires (or nanoscrolls) to 3D CuO structures is discussed.