Shape‐Controlled Synthesis Of Janus Cu ₂O/ZnO Nanostructures For Photothermally Promoted Organic Dye Degradation

Abstract

A novel Cu2O/ZnO janus nanoarchitecture (ZnCuO@PDA) is presented and characterized using techniques for characterization, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), alongside various other analytical approaches. which proved the successful synthesis of the material. The nanomaterials consisted of a heterostructure co-composed of the N-type semiconductor ZnO and the narrow bandgap P-type semiconductor Cu2O as the core, which is coated with a layer of polydopamine. The formation of the Cu2O/ZnO heterojunction lowered the rate of electron-hole complexation, and the polydopamine coating (PDA) provided the nanomaterials with excellent photo-thermal properties and active sites, which worked together to enhance the degradation rate. Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation experiments showed that the low concentration of ZnCuO@PDA exhibited excellent dye degradationover a wide pH range. Furthermore, ZnCuO@PDA exhibits favorable biocompatibility and recyclability, making it an environmentally sustainable and economically viable multiphase catalytic system. This innovation presents a novel approach to environmental remediation and dye degradation.

Keywords: ZnCuO@PDA, Heterojunction, Dye degradation, Photothermal