Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of cubic-like CuCr2O4 for dye degradation under visible light irradiation

Hydrothermal synthesis method was applied for preparation of cubic-like CuCr2O4 spinel nanoparticles without template. The synthesized cubic-like CuCr2O4 shows excellent photocatalytic activity for degradation of RhB and MB cationic dyes but not for MO anionic dye in the presence of H2O2 under visible light irradiation. •The cubic-like CuCr2O4 spinel nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via the hydrothermal synthesis method.•The calcination temperature has a great influence on the morphology, particle size and photocatalytic activity of CuCr2O4.•The pH at the point of zero charge (pHpzc) of the CuCr2O4 calcined at 600°C is about 4.52.•The cubic-like CuCr2O4 calcined at 600°C exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity for RhB and MB in the presence of H2O2 under visible-light irradiation. CuCr2O4 nanoparticles with cubic-like morphology were prepared via hydrothermal synthesis method without template. The CuCr2O4 samples were characterized by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and Zeta potentials, respectively. The results indicated that cubic-like CuCr2O4 could be successfully synthesized by calcining the precursor at 600°C, and the calcination temperature greatly influenced the morphology and optical performance of CuCr2O4. The pH at the point of zero charge (pHpzc) of the CuCr2O4 calcined at 600°C was about 4.52. The photocatalytic activity of CuCr2O4 was evaluated for degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), and methyl orange (MO) in the presence of H2O2 under visible light irradiation and the effects of the calcination temperature, dosage of photocatalyst, etc., on photocatalytic activity were studied in detail. The photocatalytic results revealed that the CuCr2O4 photocatalyst was of high activity for degradation of RhB (96.8%) and MB (99.5%), but very low activity for degradation of MO (14%). The CuCr2O4 sample calcined at 600°C possesses the best photocatalytic activity, and the optimal dosage of the CuCr2O4 photocatalyst is 0.4g/L.