Photoreduction preparation of Cu2O@polydopamine nanospheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Abstract Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) suffers from severe electron-hole pairs recombination, instability and low photocatalytic degradation efficiency, though it has been considered as an excellent visible light photocatalyst. The incorporation of the Cu 2 O with other photocatalysts can address these problems. Herein, unique Cu 2 O@ polydopamine (PDA) nanospheres are prepared by a simple photo-reduction approach. Due to the synergistic effects of the Cu 2 O and PDA semiconductors, the Cu 2 O@PDA nanospheres composite possesses enhanced photocatalytic activity and extended life time for the degradation of the methyl orange under visible light irradiation.