Insights into copper(I) phenylacetylide with in-situ transformation of oxygen and enhanced visible-light response for water decontamination: Cu–O bond promotes exciton dissociation and charge transfer.

Text: The novel photocatalyst OrPhC 2 Cu was developed by creatively converting the adsorbed oxygen on the surface of PhC 2 Cu into a functional Cu–O bond. It proves to be effective in promoting Cr(VI) photoreduction, as well as the photodegradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and dyes. This effectiveness is attributed to its enhanced visible-light response, as well as the promotion of exciton dissociation and charge transfer. [Display omitted] The widespread contamination of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and dyes is a growing concern. necessitating the development of convenient and effective technologies for their removal. Copper(I) phenylacetylide (PhC 2 Cu) has emerged as a promising photocatalyst for environmental remediation. In this study, we introduced a functional Cu–O bond into PhC 2 Cu (referred to as OrPhC 2 Cu) by creatively converting the adsorbed oxygen on the surface of PhC 2 Cu into a Cu–O bond to enhance the efficiency of Cr(VI) photoreduction, PPCPs photodegradation, and dyes photodegradation through a facile vacuum activating method. The incorporation of the Cu–O bond optimized the electron structure of OrPhC 2 Cu, facilitating exciton dissociation and charge transfer. The exciton dissociation behavior and charge transfer mechanism were systematically investigated for the first time in the OrPhC 2 Cu system by photoelectrochemical tests, fluorescence and phosphorescence (PH) techniques, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Remarkably, the enhanced visible-light response of OrPhC 2 Cu improved photon utilization and significantly promoted the generation of reactive species (RSs), leading to the highly efficient Cr(VI) photoreduction (98.52% within 25 min) and sulfamethazine photodegradation (94.65% within 60 min), with 3.91 and 5.23 times higher activity compared to PhC 2 Cu. Additionally, the photocatalytic efficiency of OrPhC 2 Cu in degrading anionic dyes surpassed that of cationic dyes. The performance of the OrPhC 2 Cu system in treating electroplating effluent or natural water bodies suggests its potential for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]