A unique Cu2O/TiO2 nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation

Abstract A unique Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite with high photocatalytic activity was synthesized via a two-step chemical solution method and used for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye. The structure, morphology, composition, optical and photocatalytic properties of the as-prepared samples were investigated in detail. The results suggested that the Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite is composed of hierarchical TiO 2 hollow microstructure coated by a great many Cu 2 O nanoparticles. The photocatalytic performance of Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light, and compared with those of the pure TiO 2 and Cu 2 O photocatalysts synthesized by the identical synthetic route. Within 120 min of reaction time, nearly 100% decolorization efficiency of MB was achieved by Cu 2 O/TiO 2 photocatalyst, which is much higher than that of pure TiO 2 (26%) or Cu 2 O (32%). The outstanding photocatalytic efficiency was mainly ascribed to the unique architecture, the extended photoresponse range and efficient separation of the electron-hole pairs in the Cu 2 O/TiO 2 heterojunction. In addition, the Cu 2 O/TiO 2 nanocomposite also retains good cycling stability in the photodegradation of MB.