Cu2O NPs/Bi2O2CO3 flower-like complex photocatalysts with enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.

A facile and feasible interfacial self-assembly approach was developed to synthesize flower-like Cu 2 O/Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 micro-composites. Degradation of methylene blue (MB) was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of composite under visible light. When compared to Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 , the flower-like Cu 2 O/Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 micro-composites show higher photocatalytic activity. Additionally, our results indicate that the photocatalytic activity of Cu 2 O/Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 composites is dependent on Cu 2 O loading. The highest photocatalytic performance of Cu 2 O/Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 micro-composites is 94% after irradiation for 20 min, which is 3–5 times that of pure Cu 2 O (calculated based on the equivalent Cu 2 O content in Cu 2 O/Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 ) and pure Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 respectively. Photocatalytic mechanism for the degradation of MB over Cu 2 O/Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 was proposed based on the above. Our results provide an invaluable methodology for designing high visible-responsive photocatalysts based on Cu 2 O/bismuth and related functional materials, which is promising for semiconductor composites and new energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]