Facile thermal exfoliation of Cu sheets towards the CuO/Cu₂O heterojunction: a cost-effective photocatalyst with visible-light response for promising sustainable applications.

ABSTRACT: Unlike semiconductors, metals, especially the Cu element, usually show preeminent ductility and thermal expansivity; accordingly, herein, we report thermal treatment of a commercial copper sheet in air to obtain a black mass, i.e. CuO/Cu₂O with a heterojunction, which has been proven to be a photocatalyst. Rapid cooling of the hot sheet detached/knocked off the oxidized layers from the sheet as a powder. The extent of the formation of copper oxides was determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and transient photocurrent responses; in addition, other physical methods for the characterization of the catalyst were performed, and the catalyst exhibited applications in the mineralization of the rhodamine B (RhB) dye, a potential pollutant in water bodies. Moreover,

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9073361 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature