Preparation and photocatalytic activity of Cu-doped TiO2/SiO2

Cu²⁺-doped nanostructured TiO₂-coated SiO₂ (TiO₂/SiO₂) particles were prepared by the layer-by-layer assembly technique and their photocatalytic property was studied. TiO₂ colloids were synthesized by the sol-gel method using TiOSO₄ as a precursor. The experimental results showed that TiO₂ nanopowders on the surface of SiO₂ particles were well distributed and compact. The amount of TiO₂ increased with the increase in coating layers. The shell structure appeared to be composed of anatase titania nanocrystals at 550°C. The 2-layer coated TiO₂ particles on the surface showed a higher degradation rate compared with all the different-layer samples. The photocatalytic activity of Cu²⁺-doped TiO₂/SiO₂ was higher than that of undoped TiO₂/SiO₂. The optimum dopant content was about 0.10wt%.