Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kassam Ahmed, Yuyin Wang, Yang Bai, Karthikeyan Sekar, Wei Li
Summary: The use of semiconductors as photoelectrochemical electrodes and photocatalysts has been extensively studied. This research successfully designed a nanostructured composite with TiO2 nanofibers, Cu2O nanocubes, and carbon nanowires, demonstrating excellent photo(electro)activity and enhanced durability.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Avishek Dey, Gauthaman Chandrabose, Lois A. O. Damptey, E. S. Erakulan, Ranjit Thapa, Siarhei Zhuk, Goutam Kumar Dalapati, Seeram Ramakrishna, Nicholas St. J. Braithwaite, Amir Shirzadi, Satheesh Krishnamurthy
Summary: A novel method using atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was demonstrated to fabricate Cu2 0/CuO heterojunction electrodes with favorable band alignment, producing nanoscale CuO surface features with low density of interfacial defects. The electrode showed remarkable performance in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The electronic structure modeling revealed shifts in band centers at the interface, contributing to increased catalytic activity of the heterostructure. The study highlighted the potential of APPJ functionalization in tuning surface electronic properties of copper oxide catalysts for enhanced efficiency in OER and HER water splitting.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xueqin Yuan, Fei Pei, Xiaolin Luo, Huanting Hu, Huaming Qian, Pin Wen, Kangkang Miao, Sifan Guo, Wei Wang, Guodong Feng
Summary: The fabrication of heterojunction structure, such as ZnO/Au@Cu2O, significantly enhances the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of organic dyes, surpassing other catalysts. The heterostructure not only broadens the visible light absorption range, but also promotes efficient charge separation to generate hydroxyl and superoxide radicals.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Junzheng Zhang, Jingjing Shi, Sheng Tao, Lei Wu, Jun Lu
Summary: Photocatalytic CO2 reduction using Cu2O/Ti3C2Tx heterojunction composites shows improved activity due to in situ growth promoting electron-hole pair separation and Ti3C2Tx acting as an electron acceptor for enhanced reduction reaction.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qian Su, Cheng Zuo, Meifang Liu, Xishi Tai
Summary: Photocatalysis technology, with its green, clean, and environmentally friendly advantages, has been widely used in CO2 reduction, hydrogen production, and water pollutant degradation. Cu2O, with its abundant reserves, low cost, and environmental friendliness, shows great potential in photocatalysis due to its narrow bandgap and strong visible light absorption ability. However, in practical large-scale applications, Cu2O-based composites still face urgent challenges such as high composite rate of photogenerated carriers and poor photocatalytic activity. This paper introduces a series of Cu2O-based composites and explores the modification strategies, critical parameters, and mechanisms for improving photocatalytic performance. It also discusses and evaluates the application and performance of Cu2O-based photocatalysts in CO2 photoreduction, hydrogen production, and water pollution treatment. Finally, the current challenges and development prospects are pointed out to provide guidance in utilizing Cu2O-based catalysts in renewable energy utilization and environmental protection.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaowan Gong, Jianhong Ye, Yiqiao Wang, Shuping Su, Shaobo Chen, Yu Xie, Zheyuan Fan, Yun Ling, Jinsheng Zhao
Summary: Forming CN/Cu2O composite photocatalysts by growing Cu2O in situ on C3N4 can enhance the photocatalytic performance of carbon nitride, with significantly improved efficiency of photocatalysis.
APPLIED CATALYSIS A-GENERAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Benlin Dai, Wei Zhao, Wei Wei, Jihui Cao, Gang Yang, Shijie Li, Cheng Sun, Dennis Y. C. Leung
Summary: An efficient g-C3N4/Cu2O@Cu plasmonic Step-scheme (S-scheme) heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully designed and used for pollutant degradation and energy generation. The catalyst exhibited excellent stability and high photocatalytic performance, with g-C3N4/Cu2O@Cu-4 showing the highest activity. The effects of environmental factors on the photocatalytic performance were investigated, and the degradation pathway of Bisphenol-S was proposed based on intermediate products.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Benlin Dai, Yuanyi Li, Jiming Xu, Cheng Sun, Shijie Li, Wei Zhao
Summary: A Cu2O/g-C3N4 catalyst was synthesized and showed efficient performance in pollutant degradation and energy generation, exhibiting high catalytic activity and hydrogen production rate. The catalyst demonstrated satisfactory stability and photocatalytic performance, attributed to its efficient interfacial charge separation and the formation of Step-scheme heterojunction structure.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tariq J. Al-Musawi, Nezamaddin Mengelizadeh, Abeer I. Alwared, Davoud Balarak, Reza Sabaghi
Summary: The photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) was investigated by loading spinel ferrite copper (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles onto montmorillonite (MMT) under UV light irradiation. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the experimental parameters, and a maximum efficiency of 83.75% was achieved under the following conditions: pH 3, CIP concentration 32.5 mg/L, MMT/CuFe2O4 dose 0.78 g/L, and irradiation time 47.50 min. The photocatalysis process involved the generation of hydroxyls ((OH)-O-center dot), superoxide (O-center dot(2)-) radical, electrons (e(-)), and holes (h(+)), as confirmed by radical trapping experiments. The MMT/CuFe2O4 exhibited excellent recyclability and stability, with a low rate drop of less than 10% during six consecutive reaction cycles. The toxicity of the treated solution significantly decreased after photocatalysis, as evaluated using Daphnia Magna. Comparing the degradation results under UV and visible light showed similar outcomes when the reaction time ended, and particle activation easily occurred when pollutant mineralization exceeded 80%.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chenlong Yan, Mengyang Xu, Wangye Cao, Qidi Chen, Xianghai Song, Pengwei Huo, Weiqiang Zhou, Huiqin Wang
Summary: This study successfully constructed BiOBr/Cu2O heterojunctions for efficient conversion of CO2 to CH4. Through various characterization methods, it was confirmed that BiOBr/Cu2O had strong photogenerated carrier transfer and separation abilities and the presence of key intermediates favorable for CH4 production was discovered.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jun-Li Chen, Ming-Ming Liu, Shi-Yu Xie, Li-Juan Yue, Fei-Long Gong, Kai-Ming Chai, Yong-Hui Zhang
Summary: Cu2O/TiO2 heterogeneous materials were prepared via simple hydrothermal and physical mixing processes to study their photocatalytic H-2 production performance. The CT-70 (70 wt% of TiO2) showed superior photocatalytic activity with H-2 production of 8.33 mmol g(-1) in 6 h, significantly outperforming Cu2O and TiO2. The enhancement of H-2 generation was attributed to the proper band gap structure and heterojunction between Cu2O and TiO2. This work provides a strategy for preparing composite materials with high photocatalytic activity.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ling-Nan Wu, Zhen-Yu Tian, Wu Qin
Summary: The catalytic removal of C2H2 by Cu2O was studied using density functional theory calculations. It was found that the defective Cu2O surface can remarkably facilitate the removal reaction of C2H2, while the chemisorption of C2H2 is the rate-determining step on the perfect Cu2O surface.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sakineh Ghasemzadeh, Hassan Hosseini-Monfared, Massomeh Ghorbanloo, Thi Hai Yen Beglau, Lars Rademacher, Alex Spiess, Dennis Woschko, Christoph Janiak
Summary: This study successfully purified single-walled carbon nanotubes by removing the catalyst support, embedded metal catalysts, and non-nanotube carbon materials. The purified single-walled carbon nanotubes exhibited improved photocatalytic activity.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
S. Goktas, A. Goktas
Summary: This study discusses the research progress and application prospects of ZnO-based heterojunction/nanocomposite photocatalysts, exploring methods to enhance photocatalytic activity and presenting a range of developments related to the photocatalytic process. It provides insights into the fundamental principles of efficient ZnO-based photocatalysts and recent efforts in improving their performance for various photodegradation applications, while also offering a brief summary and future outlook on the field.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Diyong Tang, Desheng Xu, Zhipeng Luo, Jun Ke, Yuan Zhou, Lizhong Li, Jie Sun
Summary: In this study, an efficient S-scheme heterojunction was successfully constructed by coupling flower-like hierarchical structure of Bi2WO6 and Cu2O quantum dots, which enhanced the migration efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers and improved the photocatalytic activity.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Junkun Nie, Xiaojiao Yu, Zongbin Liu, Yuchen Wei, Jian Zhang, Ningning Zhao, Zhong Yu, Binghua Yao
Summary: Cr-doped Cu2O crystallites were synthesized using a hydrothermal process and characterized using various techniques to study their microstructure, optical properties, and photocatalytic activity. The study identified the main degradation intermediates and reaction pathways of levofloxacin, and highlighted the photocatalytic reaction points. The synthesized Cr-doped Cu2O crystallites exhibited enhanced efficiency for levofloxacin degradation, with the K-2-Cu2O sample showing the highest performance and reusability.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Junkun Nie, Xiaojiao Yu, Zongbin Liu, Jian Zhang, Yao Ma, Yangyang Chen, Qinggong Ji, Ningning Zhao, Zheng Chang
Summary: Cl-doped Cu2O microparticles were prepared and their microstructure, optical properties and degradation regularity were investigated. The results showed that Cl doping could increase the specific surface area and absorption efficiency of Cu2O microparticles. The photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin might involve the attack of photogenerated holes and hydroxyl radicals, as well as the ring opening of the piperazine ring by oxidation and decarboxylation reactions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Junkun Nie, Xiaojiao Yu, Yuchen Wei, Zongbin Liu, Jian Zhang, Zhong Yu, Yao Ma, Binghua Yao
Summary: This study constructed an α-Fe2O3/Cu2O heterojunction by hydrothermal method and investigated its crystal plane structure, morphological state, photoelectric conversion properties, and photocatalytic degradation kinetics using various characterization techniques. The density function theory analysis revealed the bandgap formation reconstruction principles of the heterojunction. The photocatalytic oxidation pathways and reactive species of levofloxacin were identified. The α-Fe2O3/Cu2O heterojunction exhibited high energy (111) preferred crystal plane orientation and enhanced specific surface area and visible spectral excitation efficiency. The removal rate of levofloxacin remained above 70% after eight cycles and showed good material durability. The ring opening reaction process and decarboxylic reaction of the quinolone group and piperazine side chain were identified as the main pathways for the photocatalytic oxidation of levofloxacin. Overall, this study systematically revealed the interfacial charge transfer characteristics and photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the α-Fe2O3/Cu2O heterojunction.
PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
(2023)