Preparation and Photocatalytic Effect of Cu2+-Doped TiO2 Nanoclusters

Abstract

Cu 2+ -doped TiO2 nanoclusters are prepared by the sol-gel method. Scanning electron microscopy and Xray diffractometry are applied to characterize their structural properties. The photocatalytic analysis is done by UV-Vis absorption spectrum. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the presence of rutile peak with a strong orientation along (1 1 0) plane. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study shows the uniform distribution of agglomerated nanoclusters. EDS spectrum confirms the presence of doped metal ion Cu 2+ in the TiO2 crystal lattices. In this work, the photocatalytic effect of Cu 2+ -doped TiO2 on the degradation of methyl orange dye is studied. TiO2 doped with 5 wt% Cu 2+ gives an excellent result in the degradation of methyl orange.