Novel preparation of highly photocatalytically active copper chromite nanostructured material via a simple hydrothermal route

Highly photocatalytically active copper chromite nanostructured material were prepared via a novel simple hydrothermal reaction between [Cu(en)(2)(H(2)O)(2)]Cl(2) and [Cr(en)(3)]Cl(3).3H(2)O at low temperature, without adding any pH regulator or external capping agent. The as-synthesized nanostructured copper chromite was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Results of the morphological investigation of the as-synthesized products illustrate that the shape and size of the copper chromite depended on the surfactant sort, reaction duration and temperature. Moreover, the photocatalytic behavior of as-obtained copper chromite was evaluated by photodegradation of acid blue 92 (anionic dye) as water pollutant.