Facet-dependent Cu2O@Zn(OH)2 composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalysis

Facet-dependent Cu2O@Zn(OH)2 composites were synthesized by wrapping morphology-controllable Cu2O crystals (cubic, cuboctahedral and octahedral) with the adsorbent Zn(OH)2 nanosheets. The cuboctahedral Cu2O@Zn(OH)2 composite exhibits the highest photocatalytic performance than cubic and octahedral ones with the degradation rate of methyl orange up to 96.6% under visible-light irradiation due to the best crystal facet -dependent photocatalytic performance of cuboctahedral Cu2O. Moreover, the presence of Zn(OH)2 nanosheets can enhance the rapid adsorption of dye molecules, and thus accelerate the photocatalytic process. The com-bination of Zn(OH)2 nanosheets with physical adsorption capacity and facet-dependent Cu2O crystals with catalytic performance effectively enhances the photocatalytic performance of composite catalyst.