School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology
State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Cu2O具有禁带窄、环境友好和储量丰富等优点，是一种理想的可见光催化剂，然而其光生载流子复合率高和稳定性差等问题限制了Cu2O在光催化领域的实际应用。为此，本文采用光诱导原位技术，以甲醇为碳源、硫酸铜为铜源，一步成功制备了超薄炭壳层包覆的Cu2O复合纳米材料（Cu2O@C）。结果显示，与常规炭包覆方法相比，光诱导原位技术避免了苛刻的反应条件及繁琐的合成步骤对Cu2O半导体结构的破坏，有效保留了Cu2O本征电子结构，使其具有优异的光催化活性及稳定性。同时，Cu2O@C的核壳结构不仅可以钝化半导体表面缺陷和促进光生载流子的分离，而且炭壳层的包覆还可以避免Cu2O纳米颗粒与溶液的直接接触，有效抑制高活性反应中间体对催化剂结构的破坏。与单独的Cu2O纳米颗粒相比，Cu2O@C复合纳米材料在可见光下的光解水产氢活性和稳定性得到显著提高，产氢速率可达1.28 mmol/(g·h)，且在连续五次循环稳定性测试中，氢气生成速率无明显变化。

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is an ideal visible light catalyst owing to its narrow band gap, environmental benignity and abundant storage; however, the fast recombination of photogenerated charge carriers and poor stability of Cu2O has impeded its application in photocatalysis. Herein, we demonstrate that Cu2O@C nanocomposite can spontaneously evolve from a methanol aqueous solution containing cupric ions under the induction of irradiation. Compared with the traditional carbon coating method, the Cu2O@C nanocomposite obtained by the photo-induced in-situ synthesis can reserve superior original characteristics of the semiconductor under mild reaction conditions, promote the charge transfer and enhance the separation efficiency of charge carriers; in addition, the carbon shells can also effectively prevent Cu2O from photo-corrosion. As a result, the Cu2O@C nanocomposite exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution in comparison with the Cu2O particles; the H2 evolution rate over the Cu2O@C nanocomposite reaches 1.28 mmol/(g·h) under visible light, compared with the value of 0.065 mmol/(g·h) over Cu2O. Moreover, the Cu2O@C nanocomposite displays good cycle stability, viz., without any deactivation in the catalytic activity after five cycles.

太原科技大学博士科研启动基金(20222084), 来晋工作优秀博士奖励基金(20232028)，国家自然科学基金(22002181)，山西省科技合作交流专项基金(202204041101029)和山西省基础研究计划(自由探索类)基金(20210302123214)资助

李娜, 毛树红, 严文君, 张静. Cu2O@C复合纳米材料的光诱导合成制备及其光催化产氢性能[J]. 燃料化学学报（中英文）, 2024, 52(5): 698-706.

LI Na, MAO Shuhong, YAN Wenjun, ZHANG Jing. Photo-induced in-situ synthesis of Cu2O@C nanocomposite for efficient photocatalytic evolution of hydrogen[J]. Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology, 2024, 52(5): 698-706.