TY - JOUR A1 - Yu, Changqiang A1 - Wen, Min A1 - Tong, Zhen A1 - Li, Shuhua A1 - Yin, Yanhong A1 - Liu, Xianbin A1 - Li, Yesheng A1 - Liang, Tongxiang A1 - Wu, Ziping A1 - Dionysiou, Dionysios D. T1 - Synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic performance of 0D/2D CuO/tourmaline composite photocatalysts JF - Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology PY - 2020/// VL - 11 SP - 407 EP - 416 SN - 2190-4286 DO - 10.3762/bjnano.11.31 PB - Beilstein-Institut JA - Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. UR - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.11.31 KW - 0D/2D CuO KW - organic contaminants KW - photocatalytic activity KW - photoinduced charge separation KW - tourmaline N2 - Photocatalysis is considered to be a green and promising technology for transforming organic contaminants into nontoxic products. In this work, a CuO/tourmaline composite with zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) CuO architecture was successfully obtained via a facile hydrothermal process, and its photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Surface element valence state and molecular vibration characterization revealed that CuO chemically interacted with tourmaline via Si–O–Cu bonds. The specific surface area of the CuO/tourmaline composite (23.60 m2 g−1) was larger than that of the pristine CuO sample (3.41 m2 g−1). The CuO/tourmaline composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MB, which was ascribed to the increase in the quantity of the adsorption-photoreactive sites and the efficient utilization of the photoinduced charge carriers. This study provides a facile strategy for the construction of 0D/2D CuO structures and the design of tourmaline-based functional composite photocatalysts for the treatment of organic contaminants in water. ER -