Synthesis of Cu2O Octadecahedron/TiO2 Quantum Dot Heterojunctions with High Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity and High Stability

Since p-n heterojunction photocatalysts with higher energy facets exposed usually possess greatly enhanced photocatalytic activities than single-phase catalysts, a novel Cuc octadecahedron/TiO2 quantum dot (Cu2O-O/TiO2-QD) p-n heterojunctions composite was designed and synthesized in this study. Cu2O octadecahedra (Cu2O-O) with {110} facets and {100} facets exposed were synthesized first, then highly dispersed TiO2 quantum dots (TiO2-QDs) were loaded on Cu2O-O by the precipitation of TiO2-QDs sol in the presence of absolute ethanol. The morphology, crystal structure, chemical composition, optical properties, photocatalytic activity, and stability of Cu2O-O/TiO2-QD heterojunctions were characterized and investigated. It was found that TiO2-QDs were firmly anchored on Cu2O-O single crystals with good dispersibility. The Cu2O-O/TiO2-QD heterojunctions with partial coverage of TiO2-QDs showed a strong absorbance of visible light and exhibited an effective transfer of photoexcited electrons. The degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation indicated that the photocatalytic activity of Cu2O-O/TiO2-QD heterojunctions was significantly enhanced compared with that of Cu2O-O. This Cu2O-O/TiO2-QD heterojunctions composite exhibited high stability in MO degradation process and after storage in air. The high visible light photocatalytic activity and good stability were attributed to high utilization of light, effective separation of photoexcited electron-hole pairs, and instant scavenging of holes in the unique heterojunction structure.