Mesoporous cuprous oxide supported Anatase-silica nanocomposite: Structural, optical, and Photocatalytic applications

Semiconductor nano photocatalysis holds promise for remediating polluted water; nevertheless, the widespread adoption of photocatalysts is impeded by their low reaction rates and significant electron-hole recombination rates, particularly for large-scale applications. To address this, heterogeneous nano photocatalysts are crucial. Mesoporous anatase nanoparticles (ANPs) and anatase-silica nanocomposite (ASNC) were synthesized and augmented with Cu2O (Cu2O/ASNC) for photocatalytic use by sol-gel method. Thermally stable Cu2O/ASNC revealed the porous cauliflower-shaped nanostructure with uniform Cu distribution along with Si, and Ti. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) depicted spherical morphologies with particle sizes of 3.5 nm for ANPs, 12.5 nm for ASNC, and 1.42 nm for Cu2O/ASNC. Moreover, Cu2O/ASNC exhibited a surface area (S-BET) of similar to 215 m(2)/g, bandgap around 2.07 eV, and formation of Cu-O-Ti bond. Cu2O/ASNC displayed relatively high photocatalytic activity 89 % phenol red degradation (k = 0.008 min(-1)) after 300 min of UV-radiation.