title: Controlling core/shell formation of Nanocubic p-Cu2O/n-ZnO toward enhanced photocatalytic performance.
abstract: p-Type Cu2O/n-type ZnO core/shell photocatalysts has been demonstrated to be an efficient photocatalyst as a result of their interfacial structure tendency to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Monodispersed Cu2O nanocubes were synthesized and functioned as the core, on which ZnO nanoparticles were coated as the shells having varying morphologies. The evenly distributed ZnO decoration as well as assembled nanospheres of ZnO were carried out by changing the molar concentration ratio of Zn/Cu. The results indicate that the photocatalytic performance is initially increased, owing to formation of small ZnO nanoparticles and production of efficient p-n junction heterostructures. However, with increasing Zn concentration, the decorated ZnO nanoparticles tend to form large spherical assemblies resulting in decreased photocatalytic activity due to the interparticle recombination between the agglomerated ZnO nanoparticles. Therefore, photocatalytic activity of Cu2O/ZnO heterostructures can be optimized by controlling the assembly and morphology of the ZnO shell.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), School of Applied Sciences , RMIT University , GPO Box 2476 V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Ahmad Esmaielzadeh
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Kandjani
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), School of Applied Sciences , RMIT University , GPO Box 2476 V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Ylias Mohammad
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Sabri
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), School of Applied Sciences , RMIT University , GPO Box 2476 V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Selvakannan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Periasamy
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), School of Applied Sciences , RMIT University , GPO Box 2476 V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Nafisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zohora
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), School of Applied Sciences , RMIT University , GPO Box 2476 V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Mohamad Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Sohag University , Sohag, Egypt.|Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University , Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nafady
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), School of Applied Sciences , RMIT University , GPO Box 2476 V, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Suresh Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Bhargava