New photocatalyst based on graphene oxide/chitin for degradation of dyes under sunlight

Sunlight photocatalyst was fabricated by in situ synthesis of Cu2O in the regenerated chitin (RC)/graphene oxide (GO) composite film, where the porous chitin film was used as the microreactor for the formation of nano Cu2O. Nano Cu2O was immobilized and evenly distributed in the matrix and Cu2O tended to grow on the GO sheets. Cu2O inside the matrix excite and generate free photoelectrons and electron holes, which was responsible for the degradation of dyes, while GO transferred the yielded photoelectrons to prevent the generation of local high potential zone and induce the chain degradation at more points. So it was found that the porous chitin film could load Cu2O and graphene at the same time, controlling the size of Cu2O and leading to easy recycle and reuse of the photocatalyst. Moreover, the introduction of GO has dramatically improved the photocatalytic activity of Cu2O in the Cu2O/GO/RC film, showing great potential application in wastewater treatment utilizing solar energy.