LAUSR

Abstract Herein, the copper-based bimetallic oxysulfide (CuVOS) coated on the surface of porous SiO2 sphere abbreviated as CuVOS@SiO2 was prepared with a simple technique. The characterizations of the resulting CuVOS@SiO2 catalysts were performed by using different instruments. The reductive activities of the CuVOS@SiO2 catalysts were investigated through the decolorization of methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), rhodamine-B (RhB), 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in aqueous solutions under dark condition. Complete reduction of 100 mL (50 ppm) Cr(VI) solution was achieved by10 mg of CuVOS@SiO2-3 catalyst within 4 min. In addition to Cr(VI) reduction, 20 ppm of 4-NP solution (100 mL) took only 2 min for complete reduction with 5 mg of CuVOS@SiO2-3 catalyst. Moreover, the reductions of MO, MB, and RhB organic dyes were also reduced by 5 mg of CuVOS@SiO2-3 catalyst and took only 4, 3, and 3 min, respectively. The results indicated that the CuVOS@SiO2-3 catalyst prepared with the addition of optimum hydrazine amount exhibited excellent activity towards the reduction of both inorganic and organic pollutants.