Effective and low-cost CuO/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared at room temperature by a surfactant-assisted sol–gel method for photocatalytic activities under UV-visible and visible light irradiations.

The optimized product has produced promising hydrogen evolution of 3344 mmol g À1 under illuminationwith a visible light source in a water/ethanol system. The optimized product has shown promising electrocatalytic reduction and the photocatalytic detoxification ability of the material towards Cr 6+ was explored. Amperometric studies showed a linear range from 0.1 to 2.7 mM, and limits of detection and quantification of 0.01 mM and 0.023 mM, respectively. The Au/TiO 2 nanoparticle modified glassy carbon has been used for electrochemical monitoring of Cr 6+ in natural water samples. The material also showed better photochemical reduction of Cr 6+ in sunlight compared to UV light.

In this work we show that phase formation and oxygen substitution can be controlled by the source of nitrogen used during the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles.

The synthesis of Y2O3/TiO2 nano-composites via hydrothermal and ionic liquid assisted hydrothermal methods, for photocatalytic hydrogen production.