This study, with the participation of Thin-film and Nanostructure electrodeposition Group, developed and demonstrated the production and use of a hybrid Cu@Cu2O@CuO–microalgae photocatalyst for the cost-effective degradation of antibiotics (tetracyclines) in wastewater. The results demonstrated that the developed photocatalyst attained an excellent tetracycline degradation performance while maintaining an electrical energy per order 18–700 times lower than that of state-of-the-art photocatalysts. The advantageous performance of the Cu@Cu2O@CuO–microalgae photocatalyst was shown to be attributable to several factors including a lower electron–hole recombination rate and reduced photocorrosion activity.
Facile cost-effective fabrication of Cu@Cu2O@CuO–microalgae photocatalyst with enhanced visible light degradation of tetracycline. Serrà, A., Gómez, E., Michler, J., Philippe, L. Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 413, 1 June 2021, 127477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.127477