Facile synthesis of Cu@TiO2 core shell nanowires for efficient photocatalysis

Abstract

Metallic copper is a dependable co-catalyst for improving photoactivity of TiO2 photocatalysis. Cu@TiO2 core shell nanowires (NWs) were prepared by wet chemical synthesis and characterized. The microscopy images clearly show core shell morphology in nano regime. X-ray diffraction studies reveal the metallic copper and anatase TiO2 crystallinity. The optical absorption spectra exhibit ultraviolet and visible light harvesting properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the presence of oxidation states of metallic copper and titanium. The photocatalytic efficiency was investigated by degrading the methyl orange (MO) and 3 wt% Cu@TiO2 core shell NWs shows highest degradation rate (k=0.02905 min (1)) with superior photocatalytic activity. This material could be surely meet the necessities to harvest solar energy for many energy-related applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.