Surface modification of TiO2 nanosheets with fullerene and zinc-phthalocyanine for enhanced photocatalytic reduction under solar-light irradiation

High-efficiency photocatalysts are of great importance to satisfy the requirements of green chemistry nowadays. Here we reported a novel solar-driven photocatalyst fabricated by a facile surface modification method, with the two-dimensional carboxylated zinc phthalocyanine-carboxylated C-60-titanium dioxide (ZnPc-C-3-TiO2) nanosheets, in which the surface modifications of ZnPc and C-60 derivative were designed to extend the absorption range and promote charge separation, respectively. Benefiting from the unique structure and positive synergetic effect, the ZnPc-C-3-TiO2 nanocomposite shows promising applications in selective reduction of nitroarenes for high-value-added aromatic amines under solar light. Especially, for the photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline, the ZnPc-C-3-TiO2 nanocomposite possesses both high efficiency and selectivity (up to 99%).