Preparation of Cu_2O-TiO_2 nanocomposite in ethylene glycol system and its photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

摘要

The nano-scale Cu_2O-TiO_2 couple oxide photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by the homogeneous hydrolysation, followed by the solvothermal crystallization and ethylene glycol-thermal reduction process, respectively. The obtained photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing that the crystal phase composition and the crystal size of the prepared photocatalyst were affected by the ethylene glycol-thermal reduction temperature. The photocatalytic activity of Cu_2O-TiO_2 was also evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) as a model compound. The results showed that the prepared Cu_2O-TiO_2 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of MO than the pure Cu_2O and the commercial Degussa P25 TiO_2 under visible light irradiation.