Abstract
Amorphous CuO is considered as an excellent cocatalyst, owing to its large surface area and superior conductivity compared with its crystalline counterpart. The current work demonstrates a facile method to prepare amorphous CuO, which is grown on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C(3)N(4)) and is then applied for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride. The prepared CuO/g-C(3)N(4) composite shows higher photocatalytic activities compared with bare g-C(3)N(4). Efficient charge transfer between g-C(3)N(4) and CuO is confirmed by the photocurrent response spectra and photoluminescence spectra. This work provides a facile approach to prepare low-cost composites for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics to safeguard the environment.