CuO-TiO2 Nanocatalyst for Photodegradation of Acid Red 88 in Aqueous Solution

CuO-TiO2 nanocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity was successfully synthesized through a simple impregnation method. The as-synthesized samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and diffused reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy. The results show that the CuO-TiO2 sample is a composite material composed of CuO and TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of CuO-TiO2 nanocatalyst for the degradation of Acid Red 88 is much higher than that of bare TiO2 sample can be attributed due to presence of more number of surface active sites in CuO-TiO2. Further enhancement in the photodegradation rate by many folds was observed upon addition of electron acceptors [Peroxomonosulphate (PMS), Peroxodisulphate (PDS) and Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)]. The reason for such enhancement is due to generation of more number of active radicals at the photocatalytic surface upon illumination.