Soft-chemistry synthesis of highly active TiO2-CuO heterostructures having high photoactivity and magnetic properties

Abstract

TiO2 and CuO based heterostructures are of interest as film photocatalysts, spintronics materials, sensorics, etc. A new approach to obtaining titania nanosized crystallites in the anatase/brookite form and a titania/copper(II) oxide nanocomposite that allows the production of photoactive coatings has been proposed in the present work. The possibility of preparing well-crystallized materials at near-room temperature without the calcination stage is a feature of the proposed approach based on sol-gel transformations and the interaction of the multiphase colloidal system components. Using the method of dipping the polymer substrates into colloidal solutions, thin coatings are generated on the basis of the synthesized materials. The structural changes occurring upon the interaction of TiO2 and CuO nanoparticles during synthesis have been studied by dynamic light scattering and scanning probe microscopy methods. UV and visible absorption spectra of TiO2 and CuO films coated on a polymer substrate by a dipping method, as well as the spectral activity shift of TiO2/CuO heterostructure coatings, have been obtained. The magnetic force microscopy method was employed to investigate the magnetic regions of heterostructure films.