Novel in-situ synthesis of metal nanoparticles-supported bulk photocatalyst and its application in 4-nitrophenol reduction.

[Display omitted] • Photocatalyst (ACW) for 4-NP reduction is facilely synthesized via in-situ redox. • In ACW, Au and Cu NPs are loaded on Cu wire surface with submicro-sized Cu cubes. • ACW has a large specific surface area and a high loading density of Au and Cu NPs. • ACW exhibits superior photocatalytic activity, reusability and stability. • In-situ redox provides a novel route to prepare metal NPs-supported bulk catalysts. Based on a normal copper wire, an effective photocatalyst (ACW) for the 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction is successfully synthesized by an in-situ redox method. The constitution of ACW is similar to "ants on a tree", i.e., dense Au and Cu nanoparticles (NPs) are loaded on the copper wire surface covered by submicro-sized Cu cubes. Employing ACW as photocatalyst, the conversion efficiency of 4-NP can achieve to 100% at 2.5 min and the rate constant for the 4-NP reduction can reach up to 1.45 min−1. Moreover, ACW exhibits satisfactory reusability for 25 cycles and stability in 12 months. These excellent performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Au NPs, Cu NPs and the Cu wire surface covered with submicro-sized cubes. Clearly, the above in-situ redox method provides a facile route to prepare metal NPs-supported bulk photocatalysts. Meanwhile, as-synthesized ACW can be a promising photocatalyst candidate for the practical treatment of 4-NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]