In Situ Synthesis of Ag@Cu(2)O-rGO Architecture for Strong Light-Matter Interactions

Emerging opportunities based on two-dimensional (2D) layered structures can utilize a variety of complex geometric architectures. Herein, we report the synthesis and properties of a 2D+0D unique ternary platform-core-shell nanostructure, termed Ag@Cu(2)O-rGO, where the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) 2D acting as a platform is uniformly decorated by Ag@Cu(2)O core-shell nanoparticles. Cu(2)O nanoparticles occupy the defect positions on the surface of the rGO platform and restore the conjugation of the rGO structure, which contributes to the significant decrease of the I(D)/I(G) intensity ratio. The rGO platform can not only bridge the isolated nanoparticles together but also can quickly transfer the free electrons arising from the Ag core to the Cu(2)O shell to improve the utilization efficiency of photogenerated electrons, as is verified by high efficient photocatalytic activity of Methyl Orange (MO). The multi-interface coupling of the Ag@Cu(2)O-rGO platform-core-shell nanostructure leads to the decrease of the bandgap with an increase of the Cu(2)O shell thickness, which broadens the absorption range of the visible light spectrum.