Cu2O nanorods with large surface area for photodegradation of organic pollutant under visible light

Cu₂O nanorods with extraordinary large surface area are synthesized by polyol method successfully. Their photocatalytic property is evaluated by the photodegradation of brilliant red dye under visible light irradiation. For comparison, Cu₂O nanocubes are synthesized and evaluated with photocatalytic property as well. The results show that the photocatalytic activity of the Cu₂O nanorods is more than one time higher than that for Cu₂O nanocubes under visible light. Additionally, the structure of the Cu₂O nanorods is very stable and they can not be oxidized to CuO even during the photocatalytic reaction process. It is noticeable that this kind of Cu₂O nanorods has remarkable large surface areas 47.6 m²/g, which is about forty times as large as that for as-prepared Cu₂O nanocubes and it is also three times larger than that for the reported porous Cu₂O nanoparticles. The large surface area of Cu₂O nanorods leads to its higher adsorption ability to the brilliant red dye and excellent high photocatalytic activity under visible light. Since Cu₂O nanorods are very stable and have high photocatalytic activity under visible light, they are expected to be used in photocatalytic oxidation technology practically in the future.