Abstract We report on facile fabrication of Ag-Cu2O-CuO nanocomposite coatings exhibiting highly improved photocatalytic and catalytic activities by RF magnetron sputtering. Nanocomposite coatings of Ag-Cu2O-CuO with varying Ag content were sputter-deposited and well characterized by FESEM, AFM, XRD, RBS, XPS, PL and UV–vis spectroscopy. FESEM and AFM analyses revealed growth of nanostructures with enhancement in the content of Ag in the film. XPS studies confirmed the presence of metallic Ag, Cu2O and CuO in the nanocomposite. UV–Vis absorbance of nanocomposite increased with increase in Ag content whereas the PL intensity drastically diminished. The fabricated Ag-Cu2O-CuO nanocomposite film with higher Ag content exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic and catalytic activities for degradation of toxic pollutants. Improved charge transfer, extended light absorption and better separation of charge carriers in Ag-Cu2O-CuO nanocomposite result in highly enhanced photocatalytic and catalytic performance. Active radicals involved in the photocatalysis process were investigated and the mechanisms behind the superior catalytic and photocatalytic performance of Ag-Cu2O-CuO nanocomposite are proposed.

中文翻译：

---

RF磁控溅射Ag-Cu2O-CuO纳米复合薄膜具有高度增强的光催化和催化性能

摘要 我们报告了通过射频磁控溅射轻松制造具有高度改进的光催化和催化活性的 Ag-Cu2O-CuO 纳米复合涂层。溅射沉积了具有不同 Ag 含量的 Ag-Cu2O-CuO 纳米复合涂层，并通过 FESEM、AFM、XRD、RBS、XPS、PL 和 UV-vis 光谱对其进行了很好的表征。FESEM 和 AFM 分析揭示了纳米结构随着膜中 Ag 含量的增加而生长。XPS 研究证实了纳米复合材料中存在金属 Ag、Cu2O 和 CuO。纳米复合材料的 UV-Vis 吸光度随着 Ag 含量的增加而增加，而 PL 强度急剧下降。制备的具有较高 Ag 含量的 Ag-Cu2O-CuO 纳米复合膜表现出显着增强的光催化和催化降解有毒污染物的活性。改进电荷转移，Ag-Cu2O-CuO 纳米复合材料中光吸收的延长和电荷载流子的更好分离导致高度增强的光催化和催化性能。研究了参与光催化过程的活性自由基，并提出了 Ag-Cu2O-CuO 纳米复合材料优异的催化和光催化性能背后的机制。