Preparation of Ni(OH) 2 /CuO heterostructures for improved photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and microorganism.

In this study, the Ni(OH) ₂ /CuO heterostructured photocatalysts have been prepared via microwave (MW) hydrothermal method. The results indicate that the Ni(OH) ₂ /CuO heterostructured composite exhibits a strong absorption in the UV and Vis regions. The construction of the heterojunction also improves the photogenerated carrier transport and inhibits the electron-hole separation due to the enhanced absorbance and the well alignment of the energy band at the Ni(OH) ₂ /CuO interface. The photocatalytic capability of the heterostructured composites with different Ni(OH) ₂ /CuO molar ratios is evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light illumination. The results reveal that the Ni(OH) ₂ /CuO (1:1) heterostructures show the best photocatalytic efficiency, which is 2.18 and 6.13 times higher than that of pure Ni(OH) ₂ and CuO, respectively. Besides, the Ni(OH) ₂ /CuO composites also reveal remarkable biocompatibility and strong photocatalytic activity in the degradation of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tetracycline (TC) and inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli).
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