Experimental study demonstrates enhanced dye decolorisation with copper-doped titanium dioxide coatings, highlighting improved charge separation for pollutant degradation.
Key Points
Investigate the microstructure, crystalline phase evolution, and photocatalytic performance of copper-doped titanium dioxide coatings fabricated under varying electrolyte phosphate concentrations.
Fabricated Cu/TiO2 composite coatings via plasma electrolytic oxidation using electrolytes with sodium fluoride, copper oxide, and trisodium phosphate varied stepwise from 2 to 10 g/L.
Characterized microstructure, elemental distribution, crystalline phase, and chemical states using energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
Evaluated photocatalytic efficiency by measuring dye decolourisation under light irradiation for up to 200 minutes.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed successful Cu3+ lattice incorporation, which improved charge separation and electronic structure relative to pristine TiO2.
Increasing trisodium phosphate concentration decreased micropore density and modulated the anatase-to-rutile phase ratio.
Coatings synthesized at 6 g/L trisodium phosphate achieved optimal photocatalytic performance, reaching 61.9% decolourisation after 200 min of irradiation.