Abstract
This study investigated the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties of Cu2O based heterostructures and their applications in the degradation of selected emerging synthetic pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater. The materials were synthesised by using different routes of synthesis such as rapid, template-free and facile one-pot approach, electrodeposition technique, simple mixing and drop coating approach. The as-synthesised materials were characterised structurally, morphologically and optically using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS). Elemental compositions of the materials were studied using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). Liner sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), chronoamperometry and Mott Schottky plots were used to study the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties of the as-synthesised photoanodes before they were applied in the photoelectrochemical degradation of selected analytes...
Ph.D. (Chemistry)