Shape-dependent synthesis and photocatalytic degradation by Cu2O nanocrystals: Kinetics and photocatalytic mechanism

Yuanyuan Zhang; Zhenhuan Zhang; Yue Zhang; Yue Li; Yuan Yuan

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.196

Shape-dependent synthesis and photocatalytic degradation by Cu₂O nanocrystals: Kinetics and photocatalytic mechanism

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Dec:651:117-127. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.196. Epub 2023 Jul 30.

Authors

Yuanyuan Zhang¹, Zhenhuan Zhang¹, Yue Zhang¹, Yue Li², Yuan Yuan³

Affiliations

¹ School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.
² Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.
³ School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China. Electronic address: yuanyuan83@hit.edu.cn.

PMID: 37542887
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.07.196

Abstract

In this study, Cu₂O crystals with different morphologies were synthesized to investigate the effect of exposed crystalline facets on photocatalytic degradation efficiency. By adjusting the addition amount of PVP, different morphologies of Cu₂O crystals were obtained, such as cubic, decahedral, octahedral, etc. XRD, SEM, and TEM characterizations were used to observe the properties of the synthesized Cu₂O in terms of morphology, size, and lattice structure. The results showed that the octahedral cuprous oxide had the strongest photocatalytic degradation effect (78.3%). The study also explored the connection between different crystalline facets and MO microstructure, and the effect of crystalline facet selectivity on the pre-absorption and photocatalytic degradation of MO. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were used to investigate the connection between the energy level structure of different crystalline facets of Cu₂O and its photocatalytic activity. Finally, based on the experimental analysis and theoretical calculation, a new charge separation model on crystalline surface was proposed.

Keywords: Crystalline facets; DFT calculation; MO degradation; Shape-dependent Cu(2)O.