Enhanced dark adsorption and visible-light-driven photocatalytic properties of narrower-band-gap Cu2S decorated Cu2O nanocomposites for efficient removal of organic pollutants

[Display omitted] •Cu2O/Cu2S nanocomposite was obtained by a co-precipitation and calcination method.•The decoration of Cu2S enhanced the adsorption and photocatalytic performances.•The recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes was suppressed effectively.•O2− and h+ were crucial for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. The Cu2S-decorated Cu2O nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile co-precipitation and calcination method, and used as adsorbent and photocatalyst to remove organic pollutants from wastewater. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the influences of molar ratio of Cu2O to Cu2S, initial solution pH, coexisting anion and temperature on the adsorption performances. As-obtained Cu2O/Cu2S-9/1 nanocomposite with high specific surface area (45.88 m2/g) exhibited superior adsorption ability towards Congo red, methyl orange and tetracycline in aqueous solution. The adsorption of organics onto the nanocomposite was a spontaneous and exothermic process, and the adsorption processes could be well described by the Freundlich isothermic and Pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The Cu2O/Cu2S-9/1 nanocomposite also showed excellent photocatalytic degradation activities for organic pollutants. Optical properties characterization suggested that the decoration of Cu2S could effectively enhance visible-light absorption and inhibit the recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. ESR tests and trapping experiments of reactive species indicated that both superoxide radicals (O2−) and holes (h+) were crucial for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Moreover, the photocatalytic efficiency of Cu2O/Cu2S-9/1 nanocomposite had no significant decrease even after four consecutive runs. The bifunctional nanocomposite as adsorbent and photocatalyst presents a great potential in treating organic-contaminated wastewater.