Fabrication and photocatalytic properties of CuO/SiO2 heterogeneous hollow cubes.

CuO/SiO2 heterogeneous hollow cubes have been successfully fabricated under hydrothermal conditions. XRD, SEM and EDX under TEM studies confirm that CuO nanoparticles deposit on the surface of SiO2 hollow cubic templates. In virtue of their heterogeneous and hollow structures as well as higher specific surface area, CuO/SiO2 heterogeneous hollow cubes exhibit enhanced photocatalytic properties compared to P25 TiO2, SiO2 hollow cubes and CuO hierarchical microflowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]