Ionic liquid-assisted fabrication of copper hydroxyphosphate nanocrystals with exposed {100} facets for enhanced photocatalytic activity

Libethenite Cu 2 PO 4 OH nanocrystals with different morphologies were prepared by an ionic liquid-assisted hydrothermal route, and were further investigated as photocatalysts under visible-light irradiation. The Cu 2 PO 4 OH elongated truncated bipyramids exposing {100} facets exhibit superior photocatalytic activity compared to other particles, which can be attributed to the presence of 100% Cu 5c atoms on {100} facets. It is highly expect this research can provide a useful fundamental understanding of shape-dependent photocatalytic performance of copper hydroxyphosphate.

Xiaochuan Duan, Songhua Xiao, Yuan Liu, Hui Huang, Dandan Wang, Lingling Wang, Bin Liu and Taihong Wang

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