Facile synthesis of Cu@TiO2 core shell nanowires for efficient photocatalysis

• Cu@TiO2 core shell nanowires have been synthesized by a facile two-step wet chemical approach.
• The morphology shows well-mannered core shell nanostructure.
• Cu@TiO2 core shell nanowires are found to be high photocatalytic performance.

Metallic copper is a dependable co-catalyst for improving photoactivity of TiO2 photocatalysis. Cu@TiO2 core shell nanowires (NWs) were prepared by wet chemical synthesis and characterized. The microscopy images clearly show core shell morphology in nano regime. X-ray diffraction studies reveal the metallic copper and anatase TiO2 crystallinity. The optical absorption spectra exhibit ultraviolet and visible light harvesting properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the presence of oxidation states of metallic copper and titanium. The photocatalytic efficiency was investigated by degrading the methyl orange (MO) and 3 wt% Cu@TiO2 core shell NWs shows highest degradation rate (k=0.02905 min−1) with superior photocatalytic activity. This material could be surely meet the necessities to harvest solar energy for many energy-related applications.

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