ZnO nanorods and ZnO/Cu2O nanocomposites were fabricated by a simple hydrothermal method. The morphology, crystalline structure and optical properties of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Both samples were applied to degrade methylene blue (MB). Under light irradiation, ZnO nanorods exhibit high photocatalytic activity, and the degradation rate of ZnO/Cu2O nanocomposites is obviously higher than that of ZnO nanorods. The possible photocatalytic mechanism for both samples has been discussed comparatively.
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