Morphology-controllable synthesis of CuO micro-shuttles for photocatalytic activity

In this article, morphology-controllable synthesis of CuO micro-shuttles has been achieved by a solvothermal process in a mixed solvent of water and ethanol. Uniform CuO crystals with novel structures can be fabricated by tuning the volume ratio of water and ethanol. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by the X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the products were examined by measuring the photodegradation of methyl orange solution under ultraviolet radiation. The results show that the as-synthesized products display an excellent photocatalytic activity, which may be aroused from their particular morphologies and specific surface area.