Effects of Cu doping on the phase transition and photocatalytic activity of anatase/rutile mixed crystal TiO2 nanocomposites

Abstract Pure and Cu doped anatase/rutile mixed TiO 2 nanomaterials were fabricated through sol-gel method. The obtained photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, PL and DRS, and the influences of Cu doping on the structure and photocatalytic property were studied. The results show that when the molar ratios of Cu/Ti are 1% and 2%, Cu doping promotes anatase → rutile phase transformation. When the molar ratio of Cu/Ti is 4%, the phase transformation is inhibited. Cu element coexists in the form of Cu + and Cu 2+ , and Cu doping facilitates the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. TEM image shows that copper oxides are dispersed on TiO 2 particles surface, which significantly reduces the optical absorption of ultraviolet region. The photocatalytic experiment results show that the photocatalytic activity of Cu–TiO 2 is lower than pure TiO 2 , and the higher doping concentration, the lower photocatalytic activity.