Facile One‐Pot Synthesis of Uniquely Designed Au−Cu2O Nanocomposites for Effective Catalytic Degradation of Azo Dyes

Abstract

AbstractIn the study of metal–semiconductor nanocomposites, the Au−Cu2O system is of significant interest because it can give rise to a variety of hybrid designs with pronounced activity for catalytic applications. In this work, a facile one‐pot synthetic strategy was developed to prepare Au−Cu2O nanocomposites with a unique core–shell nanoflower configuration, where a cluster of tiny Au nanoparticles constitutes the core, while larger cube‐like Cu2O nanoparticles surround this core in a petal‐like arrangement. Unlike previously published procedures that rely on two‐pot synthesis routes to generate the Au−Cu2O hybrid, the one‐pot synthesis protocol presented in this work is a more straightforward and less laborious approach that does not require a separate pre‐synthesis step. Furthermore, the synthesis can be conveniently performed at ambient conditions using nontoxic reagents. When tested as catalysts, the uniquely designed Au@Cu2O nanoflowers were found to effectively catalyze the borohydride‐mediated degradation of synthetic azo dyes (methyl orange and congo red). The hybrid exhibited superior catalytic activity relative to pristine Cu2O, underscoring the significance of creating a nanocomposite.