A green synthesis approach of p-n CuO/ZnO junctions for multifunctional photocatalysis towards the degradation of contaminants
Nhu Thi Thu Vo, Sheng‐Jie You, Minh‐Thuan Pham, Viet Van Pham
Abstract
Establishing a heterojunction of p-type CuO semiconductor and n-type ZnO semiconductor is an attractive approach to fabricating a robust photocatalyst for completely removing organic pollutants and nitrogen oxide (NO) gas under a visible light excitation. The p-n CuO/ZnO heterojunctions were synthesized by a one-step green chemical approach using rosin as a primary agent and didn’t use any toxic chemicals. The as-prepared CuO/ZnO catalysts have high crystallinity, spherical morphology, and a diameter of about 80 ± 20 nm. The optimized CuO/ZnO heterojunction at a molar ratio of Cu/Zn with 1: 10 is the best photocatalyst for methyl orange (MO), phenol, and NO degradation. In detail, the CuO/ZnO heterojunction can degrade approximately 91% MO, 73% phenol, and 23.9% NO, respectively. Although the CuO/ZnO heterojunction has good photocatalytic activity, it has low stability and an easily passivated surface.