UV Aydınlatma Altında Gelişmiş Fotokatalitik Performans için Fotokatalitik Biriktirme ile Hazırlanan Cu Nanokümelerle Süslenmiş Sütunlu TiO2 İnce Filmler

Abstract

TiO2 photocatalyst is a promising material for different kinds of applications, including air and water purification, hydrogen production, and self-clean surfaces. It is usually combined with other materials to improve its charge separation as well as its activation under solar illumination. However, using other materials is not suitable for practical photocatalytic applications because they are too expensive. Here we prepared photocatalytically active TiO2 thin films decorated with copper (Cu) nanoclusters (NCs) to improve the charge separation. The Cu-TiO2 hybrid structure was prepared by photocatalytic deposition process from Cu2+ under ultraviolet (UV) illumination. The morphology, size, and surface coverage of Cu NCs on TiO2 were controlled by controlling the UV illumination time. Results showed that the optimum surface coverage (3.04%) leads to a remarkable increase in photocatalytic performance compared to bare TiO2. However, depositing more Cu NCs with bigger sizes and higher surface coverage (7.08 %) decreases the overall photocatalytic activity. This might be due to the blocking of UV light incoming to the TiO2 thin film by bigger Cu NCs on the surface. The presented Cu-TiO2 hybrid system would be a good alternative to conventional co-catalyst systems which are composed of expensive metals (Au, Ag, Pt, etc.) and TiO2 structures.