Round-the-clock efficient degradation and simultaneous hydrogen evolution over long afterglow light driven Z-scheme Cu|CuO/SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ photocatalyst composite film

Abstract

The dependence of photocatalytic technology on external irradiation light sources limits the round-the-clock utilization of photocatalysts. Meanwhile, CO2 and H2 generated on the photocatalysts are mixed together because traditional photocatalysts are mostly powdery, which requires further separation and purification of the generated gases. In this work, an immobilized Z-scheme Cu|CuO/SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ composite film was successfully prepared for the first time as a photocatalyst, enabling round-the-clock degradation of ciprofloxacin and hydrogen evolution on both sides of copper foil. The efficiency of ciprofloxacin degradation and hydrogen evolution was systematically investigated to evaluate the performance of the prepared samples. The results showed that after 180 min of continuous simulated solar irradiation followed by 240 min in darkness, the degradation efficiency reached 84.78 % for ciprofloxacin and 672.29 μmol/g for hydrogen evolution. This work aims to contribute to round-the-clock photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and hydrogen evolution.