Novel synthesis of nano needle-like Cu2O-GO-TiO2 and CuO-GO-TiO2 for the high photocatalytic performance of anionic and cationic pollutants

Abstract

Novel nano needle-like Cu2O-GO-TiO2 (Cu2OGT-A) and CuO–GO-TiO2 (CuOGT-B) composites with superior photocatalysis were successfully synthesized via a self-assembly process at a low temperature. The structural and morphological characterizations of the synthesized compounds were analyzed using a series of analytical techniques. The photocatalyst showed excellent activity under visible light and was used for the photodegradation of safranine O (SO), reactive black B (RBB), and gallic acid (GA) as target anionic and cationic pollutants. The removal capacity of CuOGT-B is slightly higher than that of Cu2OGT-A, and the removal rates of SO, RBB, and GA reach up to 82.91%, 81.51%, and 83.87%, respectively. Furthermore, the excellent morphologies of Cu2OGT-A and CuOGT-B composites, e.g., needle-like structure, monodisperse, and graphene sheets drastically improve their dispersion in solution, light harvesting, charge separation and transportation, which might do some contributions to improve their photocatalytic activities accordingly. The Cu2OGT-A and CuOGT-B prepared under the conditions reported herein could be promising materials in water purification.