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Oxygen vacancies in concave cubes Cu2O-reduced graphene oxide heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic H2 production

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Abstract

A novel composite heterojunction based on concave cubes Cu2O-reduced graphene oxide (Cu2O-RGO) was synthesized via one-pot hydrothermal method. The anionic surfactant dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT) can act as the soft template to build the novel Cu2O-based microstructure. The ascorbic acid serves as reductant and etching agent in the Cu2O growing process. The facet etching of Cu2O and reduction of GO can take place simultaneously in the reaction system. The concave cubes Cu2O with average edge length of ~ 1.55 µm were well-dispersed on the surface of RGO. The Cu2O-RGO (2 wt%) heterojunction exhibited superior photocatalytic performance and recyclability with the highest amount of H2 yields of 64.3 µmol/g, which was fivefold more than the pure Cu2O (12.8 µmol/g). The enhanced photocatalytic performances were attributed to the oxygen vacancies in Cu2O and a flexible conducting channel supported by RGO. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of Cu2O and graphene caused broader absorption in visible light region and lower recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. It is believed that the Cu2O-RGO heterojunction could provide an alternative method to design excellent photocatalysts for energy application.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to NSFC (21771166, U1704256, 21301158), Center Plain Science and Technology Innovation Talents (194200510013), and Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2017YFA0204903).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, 450002, People’s Republic of China

    Yong-Hui Zhang, Xiao-Li Cai, Dong-Yang Guo, Hui-Jing Zhang, Ning Zhou, Shao-Ming Fang & Jun-Li Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), Key Laboratory of Special Function Materials and Structure Design (MOE), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China

    Hao-Li Zhang

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Zhang, YH., Cai, XL., Guo, DY. et al. Oxygen vacancies in concave cubes Cu2O-reduced graphene oxide heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic H2 production. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 30, 7182–7193 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01036-2

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