| Summary: | In this study, a N-doped Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanocomposite was prepared by a co-precipitation and thermal decomposition technique from CuCl<sub>2</sub>, 2H<sub>2</sub>O, ZnSO<sub>4</sub>, 7H<sub>2</sub>O and CO(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub> as precursors. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared analysis (FT−IR) and an ultraviolet−visible (UV−Vis) reflectance spectrometer. From the XRD diffractogram of N-doped Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanocomposite, cubic and hexagonal wurtzite crystal structures of Cu<sub>2</sub>O, and ZnO, respectively were identified. The UV-vis reflectance spectra illustrated that the absorption edge of N-doped Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanocomposite is more extended to the longer wavelength than ZnO, Cu<sub>2</sub>O and Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanomaterials. FT−IR bands confirmed the presence of ZnO, Cu<sub>2</sub>O, and nitrogen in the N-doped Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanocomposite. Photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized nanocomposite was tested for methyl red degradation using sunlight as an energy source by optimizing the concentration of the dye and amount of the catalyst loaded. The degradation efficiency was greater in N-doped Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanocomposite as compared to ZnO, Cu<sub>2</sub>O and Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanomaterials. This is due to the coupling of the semiconductors which increases the absorption and exploitation capability of solar light and increases the charge separation as well. Besides that, nitrogen doping can extend absorption of light to the visible region by decreasing the energy gap. Therefore, N-doped Cu<sub>2</sub>O/ZnO nanocomposite is a solar light-active photocatalyst which can be used in the degradation of organic pollutants.
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