Enhanced photocatalytic activity of CuO–SiO2 nanocomposite based on a new Cu nanocomplex

Abstract

In order to obtain well-dispersed CuO–SiO2 nanocomposites, we used a new synthesized Cu-nanocomplex, which was prepared by ultrasonic method. The CuO–SiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by a sol–gel method. The as-synthesized products were characterized by XRD, TEM, SEM, and FT-IR techniques. Photo catalyst activity of the products was investigated by photodegradation of methylene blue dye test. The results show that CuO–SiO2 nanocomposites with high photocatalytic activity can be synthesized using the novel nanocomplex without addition any modifier. This new nanocomposite showed a high photocatalytic activity in comparing to previous reports.