Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance under Visible and Near-Infrared Irradiation of Cu1.8Se/Cu₃Se₂ Composite via a Phase Junction

Li-Na Qiao; Huan-Chun Wang; Yang Shen; Yuan-Hua Lin; Ce-Wen Nan

doi:10.3390/nano7010019

Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance under Visible and Near-Infrared Irradiation of Cu_1.8Se/Cu₃Se₂ Composite via a Phase Junction

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2017 Jan 18;7(1):19. doi: 10.3390/nano7010019.

Authors

Li-Na Qiao¹, Huan-Chun Wang², Yang Shen³, Yuan-Hua Lin⁴, Ce-Wen Nan⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. qln13@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
² State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. wanghc12@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. shyang_mse@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. linyh@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. cwnan@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.

Abstract

A novel Cu_1.8Se/Cu₃Se₂ composite photocatalyst was prepared by the simple precipitation method. This composite possesses a wide photoabsorption until the range of near-infrared light, and exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for methyl orange degradation under visible and near-infrared light irradiation compared with bare Cu_1.8Se and Cu₃Se₂. The mechanism of this outstanding photocatalytic behavior can be explained by the calculated energy band positions. The efficient charge separation via a phase junction of Cu_1.8Se/Cu₃Se₂ composite would make a great contribution to its much-enhanced photocatalytic efficiency.

Keywords: Cu1.8Se/Cu3Se2 composite; near-infrared; phase junction; photocatalysis; visible.