Highly visible-light-responsive Cu2O/rGO decorated with Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles as a magnetically recyclable photocatalyst

The rhombic dodecahedral cuprous oxide-reduced graphene oxide/core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 composites (denoted as rCu2O-rGO/Fe3O4@SiO2) are successfully synthesized facilely via a wet-chemical route. The resulting rCu2O-rGO/Fe3O4@SiO2 combines the unique structure of Cu2O, electronic characteristics of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and magnetic property of Fe3O4@SiO2 to be an effective and recoverable photocatalyst for the degradation of methyl orange (MO). The obtained results show that rCu2O-rGO/Fe3O4@SiO2 is capable of completely degrading MO in the presence of a very low catalyst concentration (0.125 g l−1) within a short time (60 min) under visible light compared to the reported catalysts. The observations may be due to the distinctive interfacial structures of rhombic dodecahedral Cu2O nanoparticles connected to rGO sheets that can enhance the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, stabilize the Cu2O and increase MO adsorption, as evidenced by a variety of spectroscopic analyses (transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence). More importantly, these efficient photocatalysts can easily be recovered under a magnetic field and remain highly photoactive towards the degradation of MO after cyclic tests, and may be promising photocatalysts for practical applications in the solar-energy purification of wastewater.