Shape-dependent synthesis and photocatalytic degradation by Cu2O nanocrystals: Kinetics and photocatalytic mechanism

In this study, Cu 2 O crystals with different morphologies were synthesized to investigate the effect of exposed crystalline facets on photocatalytic degradation efficiency. By adjusting the addition amount of PVP, different morphologies of Cu 2 O crystals were obtained, such as cubic, decahedral, octahedral, etc. XRD , SEM, and TEM characterizations were used to observe the properties of the synthesized Cu 2 O in terms of morphology, size, and lattice structure. The results showed that the octahedral cuprous oxide had the strongest photocatalytic degradation effect (78.3%). The study also explored the connection between different crystalline facets and MO microstructure, and the effect of crystalline facet selectivity on the pre-absorption and photocatalytic degradation of MO. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were used to investigate the connection between the energy level structure of different crystalline facets of Cu 2 O and its photocatalytic activity . Finally, based on the experimental analysis and theoretical calculation, a new charge separation model on crystalline surface was proposed.