Electrodeposition of Zn-doped Cu2O for Methylene Blue Photodegradation
Iing Akhirudin, Setia Budi, Yusmaniar
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Jakarta
Jl. Rawamangun Muka, Jakarta 13220
Indonesia
Abstract
Copper oxide (Cu2O) is known as a semiconductor that potentially employed as photocatalyst material in synthetic dyes photodegradation. The objectives of this work were to synthesise of Zn-doped Cu2O using electrodeposition technique and to investigate its photocatalysis performance in methylene blue (MB) solution. The electrodeposition processes were carried out in sulfate solution with two different pH, namely 4 and 5. Difference morphologies of hexagonal and pentagonal deposits were formed from the solution with pH 4 and 5, respectively. The deposits were composed by Cu2O and Cu phases, at which the high Cu2O composition was obtained at pH 4. Photodegradation investigation showed that 63.23% and 46.49 % MB was successfully decomposed with Zn-doped Cu2O electrodeposited at pH 4 and 5, respectively. This result indicated that photocatalytic activities of Zn-doped electrodeposited at pH 4 was higher than that of pH 5.
Keywords: Zn-doped Cu2O, electrodeposition, photocatalyst, methylene blue photodegradation
Topic: Thin film and application