Synthesis of the 0D/3D CuO/ZnO Heterojunction with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

Construction of heterojunctions has aroused great interest recently in the photocatalysis field because of the special electronic band structure and unique physicochemical properties. In this work, a novel 0D/3D CuO/ZnO heterojunction was obtained via in situ deposition of CuO nanoparticles on the flowerlike ZnO surface using the wet chemistry method. After depositing CuO nanoparticles onto the ZnO, the CuO/ZnO heterojunction exhibits enhanced visible-light harvesting and effective separation of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs compared with those in the pure ZnO. The photocatalytic removal efficiency of phenol over the CuO/ZnO heterojunction is up to 78% under the irradiation of the light, which is ∼2 and ∼4 times higher than those of the pristine ZnO and CuO, respectively. This composite also presents good durability and stability for phenol degradation in the photocatalytic reactions. Additionally, in the photodegradation system of the CuO/ZnO heterojunction, the superoxide radicals (•O2–) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are confirmed as the active species by the trapping experiments. This research provides a promising way to achieve 0D/3D heterojunctions for the application in environmental purification and remedy.