Abstract
TiO2 possesses a wide forbidden band of about 3.2 eV, which severely limits its visible light absorption efficiency. In this work, copper nitride (Cu3N) films were prepared by magnetron sputtering at different gas flow ratios. The structure of the films was tested by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. Optical properties were investigated by UV-vis spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectrometer. Results show that the Cu3N crystal possesses a typical anti-ReO3 crystal structure, and the ratio of nitrogen and Cu atoms of the Cu3N films was adjusted by changing the gas flow ratio. The Cu3N films possess an optical band gap of about 2.0 eV and energy gap of about 2.5 eV and exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity for degrading methyl orange (degradation ratio of 99.5% in 30 min). The photocatalytic activity of Cu3N mainly originates from vacancies in the crystal and Cu self-doping. This work provides a route to broaden the forbidden band width of photocatalytic materials and increase their photoresponse range.
Highlights
The accelerating industrialization has led to rapid increase in pollutant emissions and worsened environmental pollution
This work studied the catalytic degradation of methyl orange of Cu3 N films prepared by magnetron sputtering for the first time and analyzed the catalytic mechanism of the films
Cu3 N films were prepared on single-crystal silicon and quartz substrates by radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering by using a high-purity Cu target and nitrogen (99.99%) and argon (99.99%) as working gases
Summary
The accelerating industrialization has led to rapid increase in pollutant emissions and worsened environmental pollution. The photocatalytic material of TiO2 has a narrow photoresponse range (band gap of approximately 3.2 eV, which can only absorb ultraviolet light) and low photocatalytic quantum efficiency [2,6,7,8,9]. Research on Cu3 N films mainly focuses on the influence of preparation parameters on the crystal structure. Numerous studies have shown that the optical band gap of Cu3 N films ranges from 1.1 eV to. Studies on the application of the Cu3 N films have mainly focused on the following aspects: Disposable optical storage materials [29,30], barrier layer of low-reluctance tunnel junction [31], field emission materials [32], and lithium-ion battery materials [33,34]. This work studied the catalytic degradation of methyl orange of Cu3 N films prepared by magnetron sputtering for the first time and analyzed the catalytic mechanism of the films
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