Photocatalytic degradation of 4‐nitrophenol by using multicomponent Cu₂O‐Cu@TiO₂ nanoparticle aggregates

Multicomponent nanomaterials with synergistic effect were typically used to enhance the photocatalytic performance. Herein, three‐component nanomaterials composed of Cu 2 O, Cu, and TiO 2 were prepared using a facile method, and applied in the photocatalytic degradation reactions. The synthetic procedure involves the formation of Cu 2 O nanoparticle aggregates (NPAs) followed by Cu nanoparticles growth on the surface of Cu 2 O NPAs in one pot, and TiO 2 encapsulation (Cu 2 O‐Cu@TiO 2 ). The catalyst structure was characterized by x‐ray diffraction, field emission‐scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy‐dispersed x‐ray. The catalytic performance of Cu 2 O‐Cu@TiO 2 NPAs was evaluated through the photocatalytic degradation of 4‐nitrophenol under the simulated solar light. We found that it exhibited greater activity than the Cu 2 O‐Cu NPAs, commercial TiO 2 , and Cu 2 O@TiO 2 NPAs, probably due to their synergistic interactions resulting in the effective photogenerated carrier transfer in the multicomponent nanomaterials.