Selection of pH Value in One-Step Preparation of High-Efficiency Cuprous Oxide Photocatalyst by Electrochemical Method

In order to obtain Cu 2 O particles with better photocatalytic activity, a simple electrochemical anodic oxidation method was used in the NaCl solution to control the growth of Cu 2 O crystal planes by adjusting the pH value of the electrolyte in this manuscript. The structure and composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and specific surface area (SSA). The photocatalytic activities of the synthesized Cu 2 O particles were evaluated by degrading MO under a xenon lamp under magnetic stirring by UV–Vis spectrum. The results shown that the Cu 2 O prepared when the pH value of the electrolyte was 11.83 had octahedral shape with corroded holes, which behaved higher catalytic performance. The degradation efficiency of Cu 2 O on MO reached 92.42% in the first 10 min. After 60 min of visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methyl orange (MO) had reached 99.17%.