Synthesis of Co‐doped Cu2O Particles and Evaluation of their Photocatalytic Activity in the Degradation of Norfloxacin

Abstract At present, the problem of water pollution has attracted widespread attention, especially the effective removal of antibiotics in water bodies. Compared with traditional water treatment processes, photocatalytic technology shows significant advantages. In this paper, Co‐doped Cu2O composite particles were prepared by solvothermal method. The structure and performance of the samples were characterized and tested by XRD, XPS, SEM, BET and UV‐Vis DRS, and the photocatalytic performance and photocatalytic mechanism of Co‐doped Cu2O particles were studied. The results show that the purity of the prepared sample is high, and its morphology has changed significantly. Compared with pure Cu2O, the specific surface area of Co‐doped Cu2O is increased, and the absorption intensity in the visible light range is significantly improved. The surface resistance of the doped sample is significantly reduced, and the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes is significantly improved. Among these samples, M2−Cu2O has the best photocatalytic performance, with a degradation rate of 76.8 %.