Preparation of nano-Cu2O/AC loaded photocatalyst and its visible-light photocatalytic activity

A kind of Cu2O/activated carbon (Cu2O/AC) photocatalyst has been successfully synthesized by a convenient forced hydrolysis and solvent reduction method. The product was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic efficiency of the Cu2O//AC composite photocatalyst was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange (MO) as a target pollutant in water under visible light irradiation. It was found that the Cu2O nanoparticles were uniformly loaded over the activated carbon, and the Cu2O/AC photocatalyst exhibited the higher photocatalytic activity in comparison with commercial P25 TiO2 powder under visible light irradiation.