Cu2O/hollow mesoporous silica (HMS) composite was synthesized using HMS as supporting material by the impregnation method. This composite displayed integrated physicochemical performance of Cu2O and HMS, resulting in low density, large surface area and excellent dispersibility. The synthesized nano-sized composite of Cu2O/HMS demonstrated rapid and effective removal for methylene blue with an efficiency of 99.8% with the reaction time of 5 min. Moreover, the Cu2O/HMS composite exhibited high stability and present no obvious performance degradation after seven cycles. The dye removal efficiency stood up to 89% even after 15 cycles. The improved properties of Cu2O/HMS are possibly the account of the collaborative effect between the mesoporous adsorption with Cu2O photocatalysis.
Keywords: Cu2O particles; Textile dyes; dye removal efficiency; hollow mesoporous silica; synergistic effect.