In situ surface assembly of core-shell TiO2-copper(I) cluster nanocomposites for visible-light photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)

•Selenoanthracene and CuI give cluster [Cu2I2L2]n showing visible absorption.•In situ assembly strategy constructs core-shell TiO2-[Cu2I2L2]n nanocomposites.•Polymeric shell and anthracene unit enhance photogenerated electron transfer.•TiO2-[Cu2I2L2]n is visible-light photocatalyst with high stability.

1D loop chain copper(I) cluster, [Cu2I2L2]n, can be obtained based upon 9-(3-phenylselanyl-2-phenylselanylmethylpropyl)anthracene (L) and CuI. A facile in situ surface assembly strategy was designed to construct polymeric [Cu2I2L2]n on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles. The visible-light photocatalytic property of core-shell TiO2-[Cu2I2L2]n was confirmed by effective reduction of aqueous chromium(VI), showing a clear correlation to optical absorption (Eg = 2.8 eV). The key points of this strategy include high reactivity between copper(I) and soft selenium atom, efficient charge-transfer through polymeric cluster shell, and visible-light photoactivity of copper(I) halogen clusters.

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