Facile assembly and improved photocatalytic activity of a special cuprous oxide/copper fluoride heterojunction induced by graphene oxide

Abstract

The simple fabrication of effective-contacted heterojunctional photocatalysts is still a challenge in practical applications. Herein, a special flower-like Cu₂O/CuF₂ heterojunction nanocomposite (Cu₂O/GO/CuF₂) was facilely achieved in situ induced by graphene oxide (GO). The assembly mechanism of the Cu₂O/GO/CuF₂ nanocomposite was studied by means of ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the introduction of GO can promote the formation of the Cu₂O/CuF₂ heterojunction. Furthermore, the performance of the composite was evaluated via photocatalytic hydrogen production. The results showed that its activity was much higher than those of the other comparisons. The mechanism of photocatalytic hydrogen production over the Cu₂O/GO/CuF₂ nanocomposite was explored, demonstrating that good light absorption, low interfacial resistance and high charge separation in the special heterojunction induced by GO were responsible for the enhanced performance.