PREPARATION OF CUPROUS OXIDE NANOPARTICLES USING ASCORBIC ACID AS A REDUCING AGENT AND ITS PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY

<p>In this present paper, cuprous (Cu₂O) nanoparticles were successfully fabricated by using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. The purity and characteristics of Cu₂O nanoparticles were determined by XRD and FT-IR methods. The morphology and particle size of the material were determined by SEM, TEM, respectively. The results showed that the concentration of sodium hydroxide was effective in the morphology and particle size of the material. Furthermore, the Cu₂O nanoparticles with particle size of 70-80 nm exhibited a good photocatalytic activity on photodegradtion of Rhodamine B by visible light, and the photocatalytic degradation ratio of Rhodamine B attained to 70%.</p><p>Keywords: couprous nanoparticles, ascorbic-acid reduction, photocatalytic degradation, photocatalytic activity, Rhodamine B.</p>