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Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity in N-doped edge- and corner-truncated octahedral Cu2O
- Source :
- Solid State Sciences. 65:22-28
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Edge- and corner-truncated octahedral Cu2O is successfully synthesized using an aqueous mixture of CuCl2, sodium dodecyl sulfate, NaOH, and NH2OH3·HCl. Cu2O1-xNx(150 °C, 30 min) samples are synthesized by nitridation of Cu2O using an ammonothermal process. Cu retains a formal valence state through and beyond the nitridation process. N concentration in this sample is 1.73 at%, out of which 1.08 at% is substitutional in nature. Photocatalytic activity of Cu2O1-xNx(150 °C, 30 min) sample is investigated and compared to that of pristine edge- and corner-truncated octahedral Cu2O. Results show that Cu2O1-xNx(150 °C, 30 min) sample with dominant {110} facets has a higher photocatalytic activity than the pristine Cu2O material. Higher surface energy and a greater density of the “Cu” dangling bonds on {110} facets of edge- and corner-truncated octahedral Cu2O1-xNx is the plausible reason for the observed optimum catalytic activity. Furthermore defect states induced by nitridation results in improved visible light adsorption. And also the band edge states changes which brought about by N doping. This is an interesting result since it bypasses the usual challenge faced by pristine Cu2O which have band edge states between which transitions are normally forbidden. Selective radical quenching experiments suggest that photocatalytic activity of Cu2O1-xNx is due to formation of hydroxyl radicals in water, subsequent to photogeneration of charge carriers in the photocatalyst.
- Subjects :
- Aqueous solution
Valence (chemistry)
Materials science
Doping
Dangling bond
02 engineering and technology
General Chemistry
010402 general chemistry
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Condensed Matter Physics
01 natural sciences
Surface energy
0104 chemical sciences
Crystallography
Octahedron
Photocatalysis
General Materials Science
0210 nano-technology
Visible spectrum
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 12932558
- Volume :
- 65
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Solid State Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........adbb0c460d68b7d4ccf56c1c7354a06d