Hydrothermal in situ preparation of the copper phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst

A novel method has been developed to synthesize anatase nano-photocatalyst of copper phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate (CuPcTs) in hydrothermal condition. When TiO2 was synthesized by an in situ synchronous process, the surface of TiO2 particles adsorbed sensitizers. The photocatalyst was characterized by XRD, TEM and UV–vis spectrophotometer techniques. It was found that TiO2 powder could be sensitized to have wavelength beyond its intrinsic sensitivity using phthalocyanine. Its efficiency was tested with methyl orange (MO) under visible light by UV–vis spectrophotometer. All the photodegradations of MO must experience a dye-sensitized TiO2 photocatalytic mechanism.