In situ surface assembly of core-shell TiO2-copper(I) cluster nanocomposites for visible-light photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)

Abstract 1D loop chain copper(I) cluster, [Cu 2 I 2 L 2 ] n , can be obtained based upon 9-(3-phenylselanyl-2-phenylselanylmethylpropyl)anthracene ( L ) and CuI. A facile in situ surface assembly strategy was designed to construct polymeric [Cu 2 I 2 L 2 ] n on the surface of TiO 2 nanoparticles. The visible-light photocatalytic property of core-shell TiO 2 -[Cu 2 I 2 L 2 ] n was confirmed by effective reduction of aqueous chromium(VI), showing a clear correlation to optical absorption ( E g = 2.8 eV). The key points of this strategy include high reactivity between copper(I) and soft selenium atom, efficient charge-transfer through polymeric cluster shell, and visible-light photoactivity of copper(I) halogen clusters.