Visible light detoxification by 2,9,16,23-tetracarboxyl phthalocyanine copper modified amorphous titania

Visible light detoxification of methyl orange (MO) was achieved with a photo-stable 2,9,16,23-tetracarboxyl phthalocyanine (TcPc)/amorphous TiO2 hybrid photocatalyst. TcPc/amorphous TiO2 exhibits an excellent photocatalytic activity under visible irradiation (λ > 550 nm). Besides the active oxygen species, sensitizer radical cation, TcPc+, was also found to react with MO directly and induce the photodegradation of MO significantly for the first time in dye sensitized photocatalytic system.