Enhancing Photocatalytic Activity of Cu2O in Degradation of Sulphonic Acid-Based Dye

Abstract

In the present investigation, we synthesized copper (I) oxide nanoparticles (NPs) by the coprecipitation method. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)/Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) Method. Surface areas and the average particle size were evaluated to be around 4.20 ± 0.04 m² g⁻¹ and 28 nm, respectively. Then, Ag/Cu₂O NPs were synthesized by the same process, examined by X-ray diffraction, and the average particle size obtained was around 118 nm. The photocatalytic degradation of [1,3-Amino phenyl [4-Sulphonic acid][2,6-Dis azo phenyl] 4,4′sulphato ethyl [6′sulpho] ester of Sulphonic acid] (COG-423) was investigated with Cu₂O and TiO₂ NPs, Cu₂O Microparticles (Micro-Ps) and Ag/Cu₂O NPs under UV-C irradiation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as auxiliary oxidant with three parameters including dopant concentration, intensity, and time, as the obtained experimental results showed a good agreement with theoretical values and succeeded to calculate the optimal conditions. Degradation efficiency with Cu₂O Micro/NPs under UV-C irradiation (32 W), for 30 min. were determined to be 20.0% and 91.4% respectively, while for the synthesized TiO₂ and Ag/Cu₂O, NPs were 99.9%. The photocatalytic activity order was of the following nature: Ag/Cu₂O ∼ TiO₂ NPs > Cu₂O NPs > Cu₂O Micro-Ps.