Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Cu{sub 2}O/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} heterojunction coupled with reduced graphene oxide three-dimensional aerogel photocatalysis

Highlights: • A novel three-dimensional Cu{sub 2}O/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/RGO composite aerogel photocatalyst were obtained. • The composite aerogel has much higher photoctatalytic activity than that of pure one under visible light irradiation. • The combined heterojunction and synergistic effect of this composite aerogel account for the improved photocatalytic activity. • The monolithic structure aerogel exhibited excellent photodegradation stability for five runs. - Abstract: A high efficient visible-light-region Cu{sub 2}O/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/RGO composite 3D aerogel photocatalyst was fabricated by a facile self-assemble method. The aerogel composite with various RGO and g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} to Cu{sub 2}O weight ratios was synthesized and characterized. The results showed that the Cu{sub 2}O/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} heterojunction absorbed visible light region shifted to a lower energy. In order to improved photocatalytic activity, the Cu{sub 2}O/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} heterojunction loaded on reduced graphene oxide sheets resulted in increasing absorption in the visible light range and improving photodegradation activity. The optimal content of Cu{sub 2}O in the Cu{sub 2}O/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/RGO aerogel was 40%, which exhibited the effectively synthetized Cu{sub 2}O/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} heterojunction, and greatly improved photocatalytic activity. Moreover, the ternary composite aerogel exhibited 96% (Methylene Blue) and 83% (Methyl Orange) degradation efficiency within 80 min. The combined heterojunction with synergistic effects of this novel composite aerogel account for the excellent photocatalytic efficiency.