Efficient photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by Cu2O/BiVO4 p-n heterostructure

Star-like BiVO4 and Cu2O nanocubes were prepared by hydrothermal method and chemical reduction, respectively, and Cu2O/BiVO4 p-n heterojunction with different mass ratios of Cu2O to BiVO4 (3:1, 1:1, 1:3) were synthesized via facile physical mixing. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic performance of the Cu2O/BiVO4 composites was evaluated by degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) under simulated solar illumination. Owing to the fast charge transfer between n-type BiVO4 and p-type Cu2O, Cu2O/BiVO4 composites exhibited superior photocatalytic activity. When the mass ratio of Cu2O to BiVO4 was 1:3, the highest degradation efficiency of TC reached 78.9% within 24 min.