Fabrication and photocalytic performance of CuO nanowires on copper foam based on laser texturing

Abstract

Nanostructure CuO has attracted considerable research attention in the field of photocatalysis with excellent physical and chemical properties. However, most CuO photocatalytic nanomaterials prepared by chemical methods have problems such as low recycling rate and secondary pollution due to their morphological characteristics. In this paper, CuO nanowires (CuO NWs) grown based on copper foam were successfully prepared by laser texturing combined with subsequent thermal oxidation and used as photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) solution. The effect of laser texturing parameters on the growth of copper oxide nanowires was investigated, such as scan spacing and scan times. After optimization, the appropriate laser processing parameters are chosen to form the micro-patterned grids on the copper foam. Subsequently, CuO NWs are synthesized by thermal oxidation. The structure morphology and chemical composition of samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photocatalytic performance of CuO nanowires based on copper foam was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange (MO) solution under ultraviolet light irradiation. The experimental results show that laser texturing of copper foam can not only increase the growth area of nanowires but also improve the content of thermally activated oxygen on the substrate. Therefore, the growth of CuO NWs is effectively promoted in terms of length and density. The photocatalytic degradation rate of MO solution by CuO NWs is up to 97% after 120 min. After five cycles’ measurement, the degradation rate can still remain 96%. It demonstrates the good-performance stability and high recyclability of CuO NWs based on copper foam as photocatalysts. This study provides a feasible approach to synthesize CuO NWs on the copper foam and effectively extend the potential application of CuO nanomaterials in the industrial wastewater treatment.