Synthesis of composite photocatalyst based on the ordered mesoporous carbon-CuO with high photocatalytic activity

Abstract Development of new photocatalysts with high catalytic efficiency, catalytic stability, and visible-light activity is very important for environmental decontamination and clean energy production. Here, we show the preparation of a composite photocatalyst of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC)-CuO by a solution impregnation method with OMC as the carrier. The novel combination of CuO nanaoparticles and OMC exhibit not only a high visible-light catalytic activity and excellent surface adsorption property, but also a catalytic stability. The photodegradation efficiency of OMC-CuO for rhodamine B is 97.2% under visible-light irradiation, and higher than pure TiO 2 and CuO nanaoparticles.