Synthesis and Highly Photocatalytic Properties of Cu/Fe 3 O 4 Nanospheres and Nanoparticles

Cu/Fe3O4 nanospheres and nanoparticles were synthesized by using a hydrothermal procedure. The as-prepared samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The TEM images showed that the morphologies of Cu/Fe3O4 composites could be tuned by adding different amounts of urea. The resultant Cu/Fe3O4 composites could be nanospheres with a mean size of 90 nm with the addition of 15 mmol of urea but nanoparticles with a mean size of about 15 nm by adding 30 mmol of urea. The possible formation mechanism of Cu/Fe3O4 nanospheres and nanoparticles were explained reasonably. The photocatalytic performances of Cu/Fe3O4 composites for degrading methyl blue under irradiation of visible light were investigated. The results demonstrated that Cu/Fe3O4 nanospheres exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than did nanoparticles as they had the same compositions. Additionally, the Cu/Fe3O4 composites with a high Cu content could exhibit higher photocatalytic performance.