Enhanced performance of β-cyclodextrin modified Cu₂O nanocomposite for efficient removal of tetracycline and dyes: Synergistic role of adsorption and photocatalysis

In recently year, cuprous oxide(Cu₂O) has been proved to be an important photocatalyst for fast removal of contaminants. However, as we known that the single Cu₂O cannot get the satisfactory degradation efficiency. Herein, a new photocatalyst was prepared by coating β-cyclodextrin on Cu₂O(CuCD) under mild hydrothermal conditions, reducing the particle size of cuprous oxide from 200 nm to 40 nm. The as-prepared CuCD exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity, which degradation rate of tetracycline(TC), methylene orange(MO) and congo red(CR) increased by 2.0, 1.7 and 2.1 times, respectively, compared to pristine Cu₂O in reaction system. This design confirms the synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis due to the introduction of β-cyclodextrin on Cu₂O, which can provide mass and electron transfer channels to accelerate the separation and migration of photogenerated electrons. Overall, this work provides an important step in developing Cu₂O-based hybrids for wastewater treatment.