Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of One-Dimensional In2O3 Nanofibers, CuO Microfibers and CuO/In2O3 Heterostructured Nanofibers by Electrospinning Process

Abstract

One-dimensional (1D) CuO/In2O3 heterostructured nanofibers with the diameter of about 300 nm were successfully prepared through combining a facile single-capillary electrospinning with sintering process, and investigated by thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques, etc. The photocatalytic activities were examined by degrading methylene blue (MB) under 500W xenon lamp, halogen lamp and mercury lamp irradiation, respectively. The heterostructured nanofibers exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity than P25-TiO2 under 500W xenon lamp irradiation due to the enhanced absorption for visible light and the efficient electron-hole separation and transportation. The single CuO microfibers and In2O3 nanofibers were also prepared as the control groups by the same method.