Zhou Guangying, Yang Fan, Zhu Ximiao, Feng Weihua, Chen Dongdong, Fang Jianzhang
School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Molecules. 2025 Jan 2;30(1):144. doi: 10.3390/molecules30010144.
The development of efficient and sustainable photocatalysts for wastewater treatment remains a critical challenge in environmental remediation. In this study, a ternary photocatalyst, Cu-CuO/g-CN, was synthesized by embedding copper-copper oxide heterostructural nanocrystals onto g-CN nanosheets via a simple deposition method. Structural and optical characterization confirmed the successful formation of the heterostructure, which combines the narrow bandgap of CuO, the high stability of g-CN, and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Cu nanoparticles. The photocatalytic performance was evaluated through the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in a photo-Fenton-like reaction system under visible light irradiation. Among the catalysts tested, the 30 wt% Cu-CuO/g-CN composite exhibited the highest catalytic efficiency, achieving a reaction rate constant approximately 3 times and 1.5 times higher than those of Cu-CuO and g-CN, respectively. Mechanistic studies suggest that the heterostructure facilitates efficient charge separation and promotes the reduction of Cu to Cu, thereby enhancing ∙OH radical generation. The catalyst also demonstrated excellent stability and reusability across a wide pH range. These findings provide a new strategy for designing highly efficient photocatalysts for organic pollutant degradation, contributing to the advancement of advanced oxidation processes for environmental applications.
开发用于废水处理的高效且可持续的光催化剂仍然是环境修复中的一项关键挑战。在本研究中，通过一种简单的沉积方法将铜 - 氧化铜异质结构纳米晶体嵌入到g - CN纳米片上，合成了一种三元光催化剂Cu - CuO/g - CN。结构和光学表征证实了异质结构的成功形成，该结构结合了CuO的窄带隙、g - CN的高稳定性以及Cu纳米颗粒的表面等离子体共振（SPR）效应。通过在可见光照射下的类光芬顿反应体系中罗丹明B（RhB）的降解来评估光催化性能。在所测试的催化剂中，30 wt%的Cu - CuO/g - CN复合材料表现出最高的催化效率，其反应速率常数分别比Cu - CuO和g - CN高约3倍和1.5倍。机理研究表明，异质结构有助于高效的电荷分离并促进Cu还原为Cu，从而增强∙OH自由基的产生。该催化剂在较宽的pH范围内还表现出优异的稳定性和可重复使用性。这些发现为设计用于有机污染物降解的高效光催化剂提供了一种新策略，有助于推动环境应用中高级氧化过程的发展。
