Surface plasmon resonance enhanced photocatalytic activity of novel Au@CuAl₂O₄ fibers under visible light

Well-designed Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) deposited CuAl₂O₄ (Au@CuAl₂O₄) fibers were successfully fabricated using electrospinning and magnetron sputtering methods. XRD and XPS results indicate that crystalline Au and CuAl₂O₄ are formed in Au@CuAl₂O₄ fibers after calcination at 800 °C. Au NPs are tightly connected with CuAl₂O₄ fibers, and the deposition contents and the sizes of Au NPs could be easily regulated by adjusting the sputtering time. After depositing 1.46 wt% Au, Au@CuAl₂O₄ fiber absorbs more visible light than pure CuAl₂O₄ fiber, and its bandgap narrows from 2.05 to 1.95 eV. The photocatalytic property of Au@CuAl₂O₄ fibers becomes more stable, and the photocatalytic efficiency of Au@CuAl₂O₄ fibers is increased by 25% than that of CuAl₂O₄ fibers under viable light. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of Au@CuAl₂O₄ fibers is attributed to the highly efficient charge separation and transfer between Au NPs and CuAl₂O₄ fibers. Therefore, Au@CuAl₂O₄ fibers would be a promising candidate for photocatalytic degradation in wastewater treatment.