Cu2O Loading Research Articles

Cu/Cu2O/NH2-MIL-88B (Fe) heterojunction as the photocatalyst to remove hexavalent chromium heavy metal ions in water.

This work aimed at addressing the problem of hexavalent chromium pollution in the water environment, designing and preparing the Cu/Cu2O/NH2-MIL-88B (Fe) heterojunction material with NH2-MIL-88B (Fe) as the carrier, Cu/Cu2O was loaded on NH2-MIL-88B (Fe) by light-assisted reduction. The loading of Cu2O effectively improves the visible light absorption capacity of the composite material. The SPR effect of Cu improves the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers in the composite material. Performance test results showed that under the condition of pH = 2, using ethanol as a sacrificial agent, Cu/Cu2O/NH2-MIL-88B (Fe) (15 wt%) had a photocatalytic adsorption reduction rate of Cr(vi) of 96.3% in 60 minutes of adsorption in the dark and 150 minutes of photocatalytic reduction, which was 1.39 times that of NH2-MIL-88B (Fe). In addition, the composite material had good stability and recyclability, and the reduction efficiency still reached 88.9% after three cycles.

Trace silver doping improved the efficiency of copper-based Fenton-like catalysts cathode for wastewater treatment

The treatment of highly concentrated and recalcitrant organic pollutants in industrial wastewater has garnered significant attention, with Fenton oxidation emerging as a promising approach. However, traditional iron-based Fenton reagents present certain limitations, and copper-based Fenton systems are often less efficient. Thus, it is necessary to develop innovative copper-based Fenton catalytic materials. In this study, Cu₂O and Ag-modified activated carbon fibers (Cu₂O-Ag@ACF) were synthesized via liquid-phase reduction. The composition, structure, and morphology of Cu₂O-Ag@ACF were systematically characterized. The Cu₂O-Ag@ACF was employed as a functionalized cathode in the electro-Fenton process to degrade a highly concentrated organic pollutant solution, with methylene blue serving as a model contaminant. The loading of Cu₂O and Ag not only enhances the electrochemical performance of ACF but also improves its Fenton oxidation efficiency. Cu₂O-Ag@ACF exhibited less than 1 % performance degradation after five cycles of use, highlighting its potential for industrial applications under simulated realistic conditions. Moreover, the electro-Fenton system parameters, including current density, pH, electrode spacing, and solution temperature, were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the degradation rate of methylene blue by Cu₂O-Ag@ACF reached 92.8 % within 120 minutes. Kinetic analysis indicated that the reaction followed a first-order kinetic model, with a rate constant of 0.253 min⁻¹. Furthermore, this study revealed that trace silver doping significantly accelerated the generation of reactive oxygen species, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the Cu-based Fenton-like catalysts. In conclusion, this work presents a convenient strategy for the sustainable and efficient purification of industrial wastewater, contributing to the improvement of human life quality.

Catalytic activity of Cu2O nanoparticles supported on cellulose beads prepared by emulsion–gelation using cellulose/LiBr solution and vegetable oil

Nanocatalysts tend to aggregate and are difficult to recycle, limiting their practical applications. In this study, an environmentally friendly method was developed to produce cellulose beads for use as supporting materials for Cu-based nanocatalysts. Cellulose beads were synthesized from a water-in-oil emulsion using cellulose dissolved in an LiBr solution as the water phase and vegetable oil as the oil phase. Upon cooling, the gelation of the cellulose solution produced spherical cellulose beads, which were then oxidized to introduce surface carboxyl groups. These beads (diameter: 95–105 μm; specific surface area: 165–225 m2 g−1) have a three-dimensional network of nanofibers (width: 20–30 nm). Furthermore, the Cu2O nanoparticles were loaded onto oxidized cellulose beads before testing their catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol using NaBH4. The apparent reaction rate constant increased with increasing loading of Cu2O nanoparticles and the conversion efficiency was >90 %. The turnover frequency was 376.2 h−1 for the oxidized cellulose beads with the lowest Cu2O loading, indicating a higher catalytic activity compared to those of other Cu-based nanoparticle-loaded materials. In addition to their high catalytic activity, the cellulose beads are reusable and exhibit excellent stability.

On the combination of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy with optical absorption studies to investigate Cu2O||TiO2 direct Z-scheme junctions with different Cu2O loading

Among the electronic properties, the positions of the electronic band edges and the work function are essential parameters for determining the potential of a photocatalyst and its ability to function in a solar conversion system. A novel type of photocatalysts, called direct Z-schemes, possesses many advantages over conventional heterojunctions, which all benefit the catalytic performance under solar light. As oxidation and reduction reactions are greatly affected by the electrical characteristics of the material, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) is a powerful tool to determine and quantify important electronic parameters of previously fabricated TiO2‖Cu2O junctions. TiO2 nanotubes modified with Cu2O nanoparticles exhibit a reduction in the value of the work function (WF = 3.67 ± 0.01 eV) and ionization potential (IP = 6.01 ± 0.04 eV) with respect to the TiO2 substrate (WF = 4.29 ± 0.02 eV and IP = 7.65 ± 0.05 eV). By varying the electrodeposition time, an optimized amount of deposited Cu2O nanoparticles was proven to reduce the WF and IP to facilitate the excitation of electrons, which could be correlated to the improved absorbance in the visible wavelength range. This work proposes a valuable methodology for band diagram tracing from UPS spectra and provides new insights in the relationship between synthesis, electronic properties and visible light absorption of titania based Z-schemes for photocatalytic applications with a combination of surface sensitive techniques and optical absorption studies.

Unraveling the effect of low Cu2O loading on P25 TiO2 and its self-reduction during methanol photoreforming

Using noble metal-free catalysts is highly promising for sunlight-driven photocatalytic H2 production. Copper compounds have gained considerable interest in this regard. Cu2O/semiconductor composites exhibit superior photocatalytic activity compared to individual compounds. This study focuses on different CuXO/TiO2 composites synthesized via chemical reduction, using Cu2O weight ratios ranging from 1 to 0.05 concerning the TiO2 source. Characterization techniques were employed, including XRD, SEM, XPS, UV–Vis DRS, PL, and TRMC. Surface modification of TiO2 with Cu species (CuO, Cu2O, and Cu0) was observed during the photocatalytic reforming of methanol under simulated solar light. By loading small amounts of CuXO (0.05–0.1%) on TiO2, the highest H2 production and methanol mineralization were achieved, along with the formation of metallic copper. The coexistence of the Cu species and TiO2 facilitated the effective separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, promoting the photoreduction of protons and photooxidation of methanol, respectively.

In-situ growth Cu2O on C–BiOI to fabrication p-p heterojunction with enhanced visible-light reduction of CO2

Green and precious metal-free photocatalysts have been focused on the viewpoint of practical application. In this study, novel homotypic (p-p) heterojunctions based on the coupling of Cu2O and C–BiOI were synthesized under mild conditions using a two-step method. The microscopic morphology, optical, photoelectrochemical, and photocatalytic properties of the synthesized samples were investigated. The catalytic properties of the samples were also investigated by photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The results showed that Cu2O30%@C3–BiOI exhibited the best photocatalytic performance when the molar ratio of C to Bi was 1:15 and the loading of Cu2O was 30%, and the yields of methanol and ethanol from CO2 within 8 h were 722.88 μmol/gcat and 264.46 μmol/gcat, respectively. In addition, the introduction of C improved the light absorption of BiOI, and the introduction of Cu2O effectively improved the migration and separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. The results of DRS, photocurrent, PL, and EIS proved the photocatalytic reaction mechanism.

A Type-I Heterojunction by Anchoring Ultrafine Cu2O on Defective TiO2 Framework for Efficient Photocatalytic H2 Production

The metal–organic framework (MOF) contains abundant metal ions and organic ligands, and is an excellent self-sacrificial template or precursor for further assembly of functional composites. Herein, MOF-derived defective TiO2 anchored by ultrafine Cu2O nanoparticles has been successfully prepared. In situ formation of type-I heterojunctions between defective TiO2 and ultrafine Cu2O nanoparticles and their application in photocatalytic H2 evolution were demonstrated. Series of composites with varying amounts of Cu2O from 1% to 10% were synthesized. 5 wt % Cu2O loading leads to a H2 generation activity of 4.81 mmol g –1 h –1 under UV–visible light, which is about 3.2 times larger than that of MOF-derived defective TiO2 (1.49 mmol g –1 h –1). It is found that the existence of Ti3+ and Ov defects in the prepared Cu2O/D-TiO2 (defective TiO2) introduces a new local energy level in the forbidden band, which is responsible for effective charge separation. The uniform distribution of Cu2O nanoparticles in defective TiO2 enables close surface contact, enhanced visible light absorption, and electron-transfer efficiency through the formation of heterojunction. This work provides valuable guidelines for exploiting high-performance MOF-derived photocatalysts for the photocatalytic H2 evolution.

Cu2O/UiO-66-NH2 composite photocatalysts for efficient hydrogen production from ammonia borane hydrolysis

Ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB) is a chemical hydride with a high hydrogen capacity of 19.6 wt%, which makes it a promising hydrogen carrier. Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is one of the most active photocatalysts for AB dehydrogenation at ambient conditions. However, the instability due to photocorrosion and high charge recombination are the main drawbacks of practical application. In this work, Cu2O is coupled with a metal-organic framework (MOF) as a composite photocatalyst (Cu2O/UiO-66-NH2), which demonstrates a better photocatalytic performance in AB hydrolysis than its pure counterpart samples because of the heterojunction configuration. The Z-scheme charge transfer pathway in Cu2O/UiO-66-NH2 composite can improve charge separation, hydrogen production efficiency, photocatalyst stability, and reduce activation energy. The optimum composite photocatalyst comprising 50 wt% Cu2O loading shows the highest hydrogen evolution yield of almost 2.3 equivalent H2 from AB hydrolysis.

Novel 3D Cu2O/N-CQD/ZIF-8 composite photocatalyst with Z-scheme heterojunction for the efficient photocatalytic reduction of Cr(Ⅵ)

ZIF-8 exhibits poor visible light response and rapid electron-hole recombination. To address these problems, we constructed an N-CQD/ZIF-8 framework by in-situ synthesis method, then prepared a novel Z-scheme heterostructure photocatalyst (Cu2O/N-CQD/ZIF-8) by reduction precipitation method for the efficient photocatalytic reduction of Cr(Ⅵ). Cu2O/N-CQD/ZIF-8 (with a 10% Cu2O loading) had a unique heterostructure and exhibited significantly improved performance for Cr(Ⅵ) photoreduction. This photocatalyst successfully reduced 98.99% of the Cr(Ⅵ) in a pH = 3 solution system, which was 6 times higher than that of ZIF-8. Meantime, due to its stable interfacial adhesion, the reduction efficiency of Cr(Ⅵ) by Cu2O/N-CQD/ZIF-8 still reached 97.13% after five cycles. Therefore, Cu2O/N-CQD/ZIF-8 exhibited superior photocatalytic activity and recyclability compared with unmodified ZIF-8. The charge transfer path of this Z-scheme heterojunction was verified by free radical trapping experiments and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Moreover, a possible charge transfer mechanism was proposed. N-CQD provided a potential driving force for the construction of the internal Z-scheme charge transfer system. Moreover, the synergistic effect between Cu2O and ZIF-8 inhibited the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. This work provides potential insights for the innovative design of high-performance photocatalysts based on metal-organic frameworks for the restoration of Cr(Ⅵ)-containing wastewater.

Designing Highly Efficient Cu2O-CuO Heterojunction CO Oxidation Catalysts: The Roles of the Support Type and Cu2O-CuO Interface Effect.

In this work, a series of Cu2O/S (S = α-MnO2, CeO2, ZSM-5, and Fe2O3) supported catalysts with a Cu2O loading amount of 15% were prepared by the facile liquid-phase reduction deposition–precipitation strategy and investigated as CO oxidation catalysts. It was found that the Cu2O/α-MnO2 catalyst exhibits the best catalytic activity for CO oxidation. Additionally, a series of Cu2O-CuO/α-MnO2 heterojunctions with varied proportion of Cu+/Cu2+ were synthesized by further calcining the pristine Cu2O/α-MnO2 catalyst. The ratio of the Cu+/Cu2+ could be facilely regulated by controlling the calcination temperature. It is worth noting that the Cu2O-CuO/α-MnO2-260 catalyst displays the best catalytic performance. Moreover, the kinetic studies manifest that the apparent activation energy could be greatly reduced owing to the excellent redox property and the Cu2O-CuO interface effect. Therefore, the Cu2O-CuO heterojunction catalysts supported on α-MnO2 nanotubes are believed to be the potential catalyst candidates for CO oxidation with advanced performance.

High metal-loaded Cu2O@TM hybrids for melt-spun antibacterial fibers engineered towards medical protective fabrics

Pathogens pose a serious threat to people's lives and health. Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is widely used in the field of antibacterial fibers, but its large dosage and low loading limit its application. In this work, tourmaline (TM) was used as the inorganic carrier, and the surface treatment such as silanization and radiation carboxylation was carried out, which greatly improved the grafting rate of acrylic acid (AA) and made the Cu2O loading to 0.93 g/g. The prepared spherical Cu2O@TM has a series of antibacterial effects, such as electrostatic adsorption, destruction of cell membrane permeability, and release of reactive oxygen species. Therefore, Cu2O@TM can achieve 96.9% bacteriostatic rate in only 10 min at a concentration of 20 μg/mL, and completely inactivate Escherichia coli within 20 min. In addition, using only 0.4 wt% Cu2O@TM, the antibacterial rate of antibacterial fibers against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were both above 99.99%.

Microwave in-situ liquid-phase deposition of Cu2O/Tg-C3N4 heterojunction for enhancing visible light photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

Surface-dispersed Cu2O/Tg-C3N4 composite photocatalysts were synthesized by microwave in-situ liquid-phase depositing of Cu2O nanoparticles upon thermally exfoliated carbon nitride nanoflakes (2Dg-C3N4). The effects of 2Dg-C3N4 pretreatment with ethanol and Cu2O loading on the photocatalytic performance of Cu2O/Tg-C3N4 were investigated. It was demonstrated that the 2Dg-C3N4 pretreatment facilitated the refinement of Cu2O particles and uniform dispersion on the 2Dg-C3N4 surface. The sample with 10.5 % Cu2O (10.5%Cu2O/Tg-C3N4) exhibited the optimal performance in photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline, and its first-order reaction rate constants were 8.6, 8.2, 6.88 and 3.22 times of that of Cu2O, g-C3N4, 7%Cu2O/Tg-C3N4 and 17.5%Cu2O/Tg-C3N4, respectively. The enhanced light absorption and tightly contacted heterojunctions between Cu2O and pretreated 2Dg-C3N4 are the underlying reasons for the remarkable photocatalytic efficiency of 10.5%Cu2O/Tg-C3N4.

Visible light – driven photocatalytic hydrogen production using Cu2O/TiO2 composites prepared by facile mechanochemical synthesis

A visible light – driven photocatalytic hydrogen production system was evaluated for methanol as a sacrificial agent using a Cu2O/TiO2 composite material. A simple ball – milling method was proposed to prepare the Cu2O/TiO2 photocatalyst, focusing on those factors influencing the photocatalytic system through a two-level 3-factorial design approach. The effect of the Cu2O loading and the operating conditions (milling time and rotation rate) for the preparation method were analysed. 1% wt. of Cu2O over TiO2 was identified as the best formulation for the composite catalyst, achieving a maximum hydrogen production of about 1 mmol/g after 5 h of irradiation. The quantum yield and the light to chemical conversion under visible light conditions for the best performing photocatalyst were 1.51% and 0.6%, respectively, which was about 1.5 – fold higher than that obtained in the presence of a simple mixture of the pure starting powders.

Creating dual charge transfer channels to collaborative enhance the photocatalytic bacteriostatic efficiency and photocorrosion resistance of Cu2O based nanocomposites

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O), as one of the traditional photocatalytic antifouling agents, has its own defects for practical applications such as rapid recombination of carriers, serious photocorrosion (Cu2O changing into CuO) and explosive release of cuprous ions. Herein, a novel ternary interfacial heterojunction (Cu2O/C/CCN) was prepared by carbon doping of g-C3N4 followed by in-situ carbon film covering and Cu2O loading. Compared with pure Cu2O and Cu2O/g-C3N4, Cu2O/C/CCN presented more powerful broad-spectrum and long-term photocatalytic antibacterial properties against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, and the antibacterial rate remained at approximately 94.28% and 90.54%, respectively, even after storage 30 days. The high antibacterial rate of the Cu2O/C/CCN can be attributed to the high photocatalytic performance and stable and continuous release of cuprous ions. The carbon doping of g-C3N4 could adjust its band gap and promote more efficient photoexcited carrier generation and transfer by the formation of delocalized large π bonds like “electron bridge” as the first charge transfer channel. The existence of carbon film between g-C3N4 and Cu2O can build the second highly efficient charge transfer channel for the separation of photoexcited carriers by forming a Z-scheme interfacial heterojunction. DFT calculation and fluorescence spectrum results showed that more active electrons on CCN tend to transfer to Cu2O through the two nonradiative decay pathways. The highly efficient carrier transport and separation can also greatly reduce the 15.3% generation of CuO compared to Cu2O/g-C3N4. The more negative reduction potential further promoted the ROS generation for sterilization. In addition, the loading of Cu2O on 2D C/CCN can reduce the contact area between Cu2O and solution and then slow the release rate of cuprous ions by 75% compared to Cu2O. Therefore, Cu2O/C/CCN has great potential for practical antifouling applications.

Highly sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor with copper oxide nanoparticle impregnated mesoporous silica

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles at a loading of 33.5 wt.% were impregnated in amine-functionalized mesoporous silica (NH2-SBA-15) particles, by an in situ chemical reduction method. Subsequently, Cu2O-NH2-SBA-15 hybrid was used as a modifier of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for making a non-enzymatic glucose sensor. The optimum composition of the modifier on the GCE surface (0.47 mg Cu in Cu2O-NH2-SBA-15/cm2 surface area of GCE) resulted in a wide linearity range (0.2–15 mM glucose) and a high sensitivity of 438.3 µAcm−2 mM−1, due to the high loading of Cu2O in NH2-SBA-15 host. Furthermore, glucose was detected both in normal range (5 mM) and in hypoglycaemic range (2 mM), selectively in presence of concentrations of interfering species typically found in the normal blood, such as sodium chloride (142 mM), potassium chloride (3.7 mM), urea (4.7 mM) and ascorbic acid (0.05 mM). The response time was also less than 5 s. Therefore, it achieved the desirable sensor characteristics, like linearity, sensitivity, selectivity, and speed of response. This better performance of the sensor is mainly attributed to a high electrocatalytic activity of Cu2O nanoparticles towards glucose.

Intriguing anti-superbug Cu2O@ZrP hybrid nanosheet with enhanced antibacterial performance and weak cytotoxicity

In view of it’s strong antibacterial function and minor toxicity, cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is frequently used in various broad-spectrum antibacterial reagents. Nonetheless the undesirable effects of superbugs still remain challenging. In this research, a chemical deposition approach is used to prepare a Cu2O@ZrP composite with nanosheet configuration demonstrating excellent dispersibility and antibacterial traits. From systematic analysis, it was inffered that the content of copper in the nanosheet was about 57–188 mg/g while the average thickness of the nanosheets Cu2O formed on ZrP is approximately 0.8 nm. The results of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) revealed that an extremely low loading of Cu2O in Cu2O@ZrP nanosheet can lead to exceptional antibacterial activity. Examined on two various superbugs; i.e. methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), the composite nanosheet reagent performed over 99% microbial reduction. More intesetingly, the cell growth rate of the Cu2O@ZrP nanosheet was determined to be 20% lower than that of the neat Cu2O, manifesting a weaker cytotoxicity. This unique hybrid nanosheet with intriguing anti-superbug performance promises highly efficient protection for the fabrics, battledress, and medical textiles.

Synergistic effects of Cu2O-decorated CeO2 on photocatalytic CO2 reduction: Surface Lewis acid/base and oxygen defect

Ceria (CeO2) with abundant oxygen defects, surface alkalinity, low cost effectiveness and admirable redox ability could be used in the photoreduction of CO2. However, little attention has been paid to the interaction of reactant CO2 molecules on CeO2–based photocatalysts. In this work, Cu2O nanoparticles were applied to the modification of the properties of Lewis acid/base, surface oxygen defect content and visible light adsorption of CeO2, and the adsorption/activation abilities of CO2 reactant on Cu2O/CeO2 and CeO2 photocatalysts were investigated in comparison. The photocatalytic performance showed that Cu2O/CeO2 had better activity than CeO2. And the loading of Cu2O resulted in more oxygen defects and Ce3+ species, which was helpful for available visible light adsorption and higher charge-separation efficiency. Furthermore, CO2-TPD, CO2-adsorption DRIFTS and in-situ ESR results demonstrated that the synergistic effects of Cu2O/CeO2 were beneficial for more generated carboxylate and CO2− radicals, instead of carbonate species which promoted CO2 reduction to CO.

Metal (oxide) modified (M= Pd, Ag, Au and Cu) H2SrTa2O7 for photocatalytic CO2 reduction with H2O: The effect of cocatalysts on promoting activity toward CO and H2 evolution

Ag, Pd, Au, Cu2O as cocatalysts were loaded on the layered H2SrTa2O7 (HST) for photocatalytic CO2 reduction with H2O. The characterization revealed that cocatalysts loaded on the surface of HST can effectively promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes due to the formation of Schottky barrier or p-n junction, thus enhancing photocatalytic activity. Of note, Ag, Pd, Au, Cu2O loading exhibited obviously different performance on promoting photocatalytic activity of HST toward CO evolution and H2 evolution because of the different overpotentials of CO evolution and H2 evolution on loaded photocatalysts. Cocatalysts with low overpotentials of CO or H2 evolution act as active sites for CO or H2 evolution, thus controlling the selectivity toward CO or H2. The Au/HST exhibited high activity for only H2 evolution (17.5 μmol g−1 h−1) due to relative low overpotential for H2 evolution (0.67 V) while the Cu2O/HST exhibited high activity only for CO evolution (0.23 μmol g−1 h−1) due to relative low overpotential for CO evolution (0.40 V). The Pd/HST sample exhibits high photocatalytic activity for both CO and H2 evolution rates due to the low overpotential for CO and H2 evolution, reaching 4.0 and 4.7 times of bare HST, respectively. This work here gives an in-depth understanding of the effect of cocatalysts on promoting photocatalytic activity and selectivity and can also give guidance to design photocatalysts with high activity and selectivity for photocatalytic CO2 reduction with H2O.

Boron carbonitride sheet/ Cu2O composite for an efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Cu2O nanoparticles were directly formed on the boron carbonitride (BCN) sheets by thermal condensation technique. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency was greatly influenced by three-dimensional distribution and loading of Cu2O in the nanocomposite network structure. The oxidation state, crystalline phase, and size of the supported/un-supported nanoparticles were observed by XPS and XRD, and the internal morphology was determined via HR-TEM analysis. Visible light response and band position was confirmed by measuring the diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). An efficient thermal, combined with a condensation method, was used to synthesize these nanocomposite architectures, which were then embedded into the BCN network. The broad visible light absorption of the synthesised nanocomposites was influenced by Cu2O loading on BCN sheets. The red shift in UV spectra of BCN/Cu2O confirmed that presence of Cu2O on BCN sheets resulted in reduced bandgap compared with the wider bandgap in BCN sheets. The H2 evolution activity was 59 μmol/h for the prepared composites, which is 59.5% enhanced compared with bare BCN. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was due to the influence of Cu2O on the BCN surface and enhanced charge separation in the interface at Cu2O with BCN.

Cu2O NPs/Bi2O2CO3 flower-like complex photocatalysts with enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

A facile and feasible interfacial self-assembly approach was developed to synthesize flower-like Cu2O/Bi2O2CO3 micro-composites. Degradation of methylene blue (MB) was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of composite under visible light. When compared to Bi2O2CO3, the flower-like Cu2O/Bi2O2CO3 micro-composites show higher photocatalytic activity. Additionally, our results indicate that the photocatalytic activity of Cu2O/Bi2O2CO3 composites is dependent on Cu2O loading. The highest photocatalytic performance of Cu2O/Bi2O2CO3 micro-composites is 94% after irradiation for 20min, which is 3–5 times that of pure Cu2O (calculated based on the equivalent Cu2O content in Cu2O/Bi2O2CO3) and pure Bi2O2CO3 respectively. Photocatalytic mechanism for the degradation of MB over Cu2O/Bi2O2CO3 was proposed based on the above. Our results provide an invaluable methodology for designing high visible-responsive photocatalysts based on Cu2O/bismuth and related functional materials, which is promising for semiconductor composites and new energy applications.