Titania-decorated copper oxide nanophotocatalyst powder: A stable and promoted photocatalytic active system

Abstract

Abstract In this work, the synthesis of the CuO-Cu2O nanocomposites decorated with TiO2 nanoparticles was performed by chemical-thermal oxidation and subsequently by the sol–gel method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed using different furnace atmospheres lead to the formation of nanocomposites with variable components content with a mixture of special morphology. The Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) confirmed the existence of Ti, Cu, and O elements in the composite material. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data suggest the presence of CuO and Cu2O species in addition to the TiO2 phase in the as-prepared composite samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis spectroscopy indicated the successful fabrication of multiple heterostructures of TiO2 and copper oxides components. The assessment of gas-phase photocatalytic performance in the 2-propanol photodegradation under both UV and visible light irradiation was done through the measurement of the reaction rate and quantum efficiency. The composite photocatalysts demonstrated about 2.5 times more active photocatalytic behavior in gas phase photo-oxidation compared with the pure CuO-Cu2O and titania because of the simultaneous presence of different copper oxide types in the structure and TiO2 nanoparticles as a surface decorated part. A cascade-type mechanism was also proposed for the photocatalytic behavior of the system. Furthermore, the stability of the specimens was proved during the photocatalytic reaction.