Resin-derived carbon to in-situ support Cu-Cu2-xS heteroparticles for efficient photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)

Compared with heterojunction composite, the heteroparticle theoretically provide the larger interfacial area between components and higher photoactivity. Nonetheless, two or more substances are very hard to synchronously form on an individual particle under the same experimental conditions, due to their different thermodynamical property and stability. Herein, sulfonic resins are utilized to in-situ prepare the ternary Cu-Cu2-xS/C catalyst via a simple synthetic strategy, of which the supported Cu-Cu2-xS monoparticles are proved to include both metallic Cu and Cu2-xS phases. This unique heterostructure significantly accelerates the electron transfer between Cu and Cu2-xS. Under the irradiation of visible light, the Cu-Cu2-xS/C product exhibits a superior photocatalytic activity for the reduction of Cr(VI), which is ∼5.2 times as high as the physically mixed Cu+Cu2-xS+C sample. This methodology will inspire the development and study of more heteroparticle catalysts with the high activity to apply in the possible industrial production.