Impacts of copper-containing precursors on the photocatalytic activity of Cu-modified ZnO nanoparticles

The Luan Nguyen; Tien Khoa Le; Torben Lund; Huu Khanh Hung Nguyen; Thi Kieu Xuan Huynh

doi:10.1504/IJNT.2020.111321

Impacts of copper-containing precursors on the photocatalytic activity of Cu-modified ZnO nanoparticles

The Luan Nguyen, Tien Khoa Le, Torben Lund, Huu Khanh Hung Nguyen, Thi Kieu Xuan Huynh^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Science and Environment

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Cu-modified ZnO photocatalysts were prepared using a thermal shock method with different copper-containing precursors (Cu(NO₃)₂, Cu(CH₃COO)₂, CuSO₄) in order to study the impacts of the thermal shock method on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO under both UVA light and visible light irradiation. The influences of copper-containing precursors on the crystal structure, morphology, surface structure and surface composition were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The UVA-light and visible-light-induced photocatalytic activities were evaluated through the degradation of methylene blue. According to the experimental results, ZnO catalysts modified with Cu(NO₃)₂ and Cu(CH₃COO)₂ exhibited higher performance than unmodified ZnO, which may be explained by the formation of oxygen vacancies and Cu(I) species on the surface of modified oxides. However, when ZnO was modified by CuSO₄, the absence of oxygen vacancies and the presence of large sulphate ions on the ZnO surface were supposed to be the factors decreasing its photocatalytic activity.

Original language	English
Journal	International Journal of Nanotechnology
Volume	17
Issue number	7-10
Pages (from-to)	514-528
Number of pages	15
ISSN	1475-7435
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1504/IJNT.2020.111321
Publication status	Published - 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research is funded by the Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) under grant number 104.03-2016.43.

Keywords

Copper-containing precursors
Oxygen vacancies
Photocatalysis
Surface modification
Thermal shock
XPS
ZnO

Link to document

10.1504/IJNT.2020.111321

Cite this

@article{237a6464661e48eba8c538b6504b4eed,

title = "Impacts of copper-containing precursors on the photocatalytic activity of Cu-modified ZnO nanoparticles",

abstract = "Cu-modified ZnO photocatalysts were prepared using a thermal shock method with different copper-containing precursors (Cu(NO3)2, Cu(CH3COO)2, CuSO4) in order to study the impacts of the thermal shock method on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO under both UVA light and visible light irradiation. The influences of copper-containing precursors on the crystal structure, morphology, surface structure and surface composition were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The UVA-light and visible-light-induced photocatalytic activities were evaluated through the degradation of methylene blue. According to the experimental results, ZnO catalysts modified with Cu(NO3)2 and Cu(CH3COO)2 exhibited higher performance than unmodified ZnO, which may be explained by the formation of oxygen vacancies and Cu(I) species on the surface of modified oxides. However, when ZnO was modified by CuSO4, the absence of oxygen vacancies and the presence of large sulphate ions on the ZnO surface were supposed to be the factors decreasing its photocatalytic activity.",

keywords = "Copper-containing precursors, Oxygen vacancies, Photocatalysis, Surface modification, Thermal shock, XPS, ZnO",

author = "Nguyen, {The Luan} and Le, {Tien Khoa} and Torben Lund and Nguyen, {Huu Khanh Hung} and Huynh, {Thi Kieu Xuan}",

note = "Funding Information: This research is funded by the Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) under grant number 104.03-2016.43.",

year = "2020",

doi = "10.1504/IJNT.2020.111321",

language = "English",

volume = "17",

pages = "514--528",

journal = "International Journal of Nanotechnology",

issn = "1475-7435",

publisher = "Inderscience Publishers",

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}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Impacts of copper-containing precursors on the photocatalytic activity of Cu-modified ZnO nanoparticles

AU - Nguyen, The Luan

AU - Le, Tien Khoa

AU - Lund, Torben

AU - Nguyen, Huu Khanh Hung

AU - Huynh, Thi Kieu Xuan

N1 - Funding Information: This research is funded by the Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) under grant number 104.03-2016.43.

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Cu-modified ZnO photocatalysts were prepared using a thermal shock method with different copper-containing precursors (Cu(NO3)2, Cu(CH3COO)2, CuSO4) in order to study the impacts of the thermal shock method on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO under both UVA light and visible light irradiation. The influences of copper-containing precursors on the crystal structure, morphology, surface structure and surface composition were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The UVA-light and visible-light-induced photocatalytic activities were evaluated through the degradation of methylene blue. According to the experimental results, ZnO catalysts modified with Cu(NO3)2 and Cu(CH3COO)2 exhibited higher performance than unmodified ZnO, which may be explained by the formation of oxygen vacancies and Cu(I) species on the surface of modified oxides. However, when ZnO was modified by CuSO4, the absence of oxygen vacancies and the presence of large sulphate ions on the ZnO surface were supposed to be the factors decreasing its photocatalytic activity.

AB - Cu-modified ZnO photocatalysts were prepared using a thermal shock method with different copper-containing precursors (Cu(NO3)2, Cu(CH3COO)2, CuSO4) in order to study the impacts of the thermal shock method on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO under both UVA light and visible light irradiation. The influences of copper-containing precursors on the crystal structure, morphology, surface structure and surface composition were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The UVA-light and visible-light-induced photocatalytic activities were evaluated through the degradation of methylene blue. According to the experimental results, ZnO catalysts modified with Cu(NO3)2 and Cu(CH3COO)2 exhibited higher performance than unmodified ZnO, which may be explained by the formation of oxygen vacancies and Cu(I) species on the surface of modified oxides. However, when ZnO was modified by CuSO4, the absence of oxygen vacancies and the presence of large sulphate ions on the ZnO surface were supposed to be the factors decreasing its photocatalytic activity.

KW - Copper-containing precursors

KW - Oxygen vacancies

KW - Photocatalysis

KW - Surface modification

KW - Thermal shock

KW - XPS

KW - ZnO

U2 - 10.1504/IJNT.2020.111321

DO - 10.1504/IJNT.2020.111321

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85096807954

SN - 1475-7435

VL - 17

SP - 514

EP - 528

JO - International Journal of Nanotechnology

JF - International Journal of Nanotechnology

IS - 7-10

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