Significant band gap narrowing of reduced monoclinic TiO2-B porous nanowire decorated by ternary hybrid of Cu/Cu2O-nanoparticle for efficient visible light absorption

Abstract

Abstract TiO2-B single-crystalline NWs synthesized by hydrothermal method were treated via in-situ reduction by sodium borohydride. Further copper loading was done using copper nitrate by wet impregnation method. Formation of uniformly Cu-decorated TiO2-B:Cu–NWs was evident in TEM micrographs. Starting from commercial TiO2–NPs, systematic evolution of TiO2-B, R–TiO2-B and R–TiO2-B:Cu NW-structures in steps, identified a gradual narrowing of the band gap from 3.23 eV to 2.22 eV. Generation of Ti3+ defect-states and oxygen-vacancy (Ov) could efficiently suppress charge-recombination, improve interfacial charge-transfer, enhance visible-light adsorption and provide plentiful photocatalytic reaction active sites; hence, enormously promising as efficient photocatalytic material.