Electrodeposition of Zn-Doped Cu₂O-Cu/Ni for methylene blue photodegradation

Abstract

Zn-doped Cu2O-Cu nanocomposite decorated with Ni cocatalyst was prepared by electrodeposition technique. The catalytic activity of the material was investigated from methylene blue (MB) degradation. The morphology, chemical composition, and structure of Zn-doped Cu2O-Cu/Ni were characterized by FESEM, EDAX, and XRD, respectively. The photoelectrochemical properties and photocatalytic activities measurements were carried out under visible light irradiation. The result showed that decrease of resistance charge transfer (Rct) reached to 2240 Ω by the addition of Ni. This low Rct produced a high current of 10.66 mA/cm2. The photocatalytic activity analysis showed that Zn-doped Cu2O-Cu/Ni exhibited higher methylene blue photodegradation compared to those without Ni cocatalyst. The high MB photodegradation was due to the role of Ni cocatalyst that could suppress the electron-hole recombination by acting as a photo-generated electron acceptor and promote the electron transfer in the Zn-doped Cu2O-Cu composite.