Ultrasound-assisted synthesis of hexagonal cone-like Cu2O architectures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract

The uniform hexagonal cone-like Cu2O nanostructures (HCCNs) which of the diameter is about 500 nm, have been successfully prepared via an ultrasound-assisted method. Due to the effects of sonication, the Cu2O nanostructures are composed of numerous nanoparticles. A possible growth mechanism is proposed as nucleation and growth of small primary nanoparticles through an oriented attachment mechanism. By investigating the effects of experimental conditions, it is found that the volume ratio of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)/deionized water and the time of sonication treatment turned out to be important parameters for the control of morphology of Cu2O. Moreover, compared with other Cu2O products, the HCCNs exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of hazardous organic contaminants in water such as phenol and Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. It is believed that this phenomenon is originated from the HCCNs unique nanostructure and its larger surface areas, leading to its high utilization rate of visible light. Based on the experimental results, mechanism for the degradation of phenol and RhB can be proposed.