High-performance Cu2O-based photocatalysts enabled by self-curling nanocelluloses via a freeze-drying route |
| |
| Authors: | Zezhen Wang Xipeng Xin Yifeng Xu Qingdong Liu Yiqiu Zhu Xuefeng Song Zhen Liu Jijin Xu Jing Liu Lian Gao |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China;2. Yurentang Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Zhanjiang, China |
| |
| Abstract: | Enhancing the photocatalytic stability of Cu2O in the degradation of tetracycline is a great challenge in combating environmental water pollution because it is prone to deactivation by photocorrosion in aqueous environment. In this study, Cu2O/cellulose microfiber aerogel is synthesized through freeze-drying, utilizing the self-curling effect of cellulose and then calcined to produce Cu2O/C composite aerogel. The derived Cu2O/C composite aerogel features hollow carbon microfibers anchored with Cu2O nanocubes. Due to the curling structure and conductivity of the carbon microfibers, the photodegradation efficiency of the obtained Cu2O/C composite aerogel for tetracycline is drastically improved to 97.3% under 120 min of visible-light irradiation, and remains a cycling photodegradation rate of 84.3% after 10 cycles. The Cu2O/C composite aerogel shows remarkable strategies for designing and constructing Cu2O-based photocatalyst in the practical photodegradation of tetracycline under visible-light exposure. |
| |
| Keywords: | composite aerogels Cu2O hollow carbon microfibers photocatalytic stability tetracycline |
|
|
