Fabrication of novel Cu2O/Bi24O31Br10 composites and excellent photocatalytic performance

This was the first report that novel Cu2O/Bi24O31Br10 heterostructure composites were synthesized by calcination-chemical reduction method. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy-disperse X-ray (EDS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance (UV–Vis DRS) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the degradation of Methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The Cu2O/Bi24O31Br10 heterostructure composites show enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity, which results from the efficient separation of photo-generated electron/hole pairs. The composites also exhibit good stability and recycling capacity in the photocatalytic process. Furthermore, radical scavenging experiments confirm that the reactive ·OH radicals play an important role in the photocatalytic reaction.