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Electrochemical and Dip‐Coating Synthesis of Dendritic Cu/CuI Nanowire Films and Their Application in Dye Degradation Under UV Irradiation
Author(s) -
Berhe Abrha,
Ujihara Masaki
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistryselect
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2365-6549
DOI - 10.1002/slct.201802467
Subject(s) - nanowire , photocatalysis , materials science , crystallinity , chemical engineering , dip coating , scanning electron microscope , electrochemistry , nanotechnology , coating , composite material , chemistry , electrode , catalysis , biochemistry , engineering
Films of dendritic Cu/CuI nanowires were prepared on indium‐doped tin oxide substrates through the electrochemical deposition of Cu nanowires followed by the layer formation of CuI on the nanowires by a dip‐coating technique. The morphology and crystallinity of the dendritic Cu nanowires and Cu/CuI nanowires were characterized by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The photocatalysis of the Cu/CuI nanowires was monitored by the degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution under UV‐light irradiation (λ ≈ 365 nm). The as‐prepared Cu/CuI nanowires exhibited a photocatalytic activity 5.3 times greater than that of a simple CuI film, and the photocatalytic activity showed a bell‐shaped dependence on the dip‐coating time. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Cu/CuI nanowires was attributed to their high adsorption capacity and enhanced electron transport. These results are useful for designing metal/semiconductor nanocomposites for high‐efficiency photocatalytic applications.