Facilely anchoring Cu_(2)O nanoparticles on mesoporous TiO_(2)nanorods for enhanced photocatalytic CO_(2)reduction through efficient charge transfer

Semiconductor-employed photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction has been regarded as a promising approach for environmental-friendly conversion of CO_(2) into solar fuels.Herein,TiO_(2)/Cu_(2)O composite nanorods have been successfully fabricated by a facile chemical reduction method and applied for photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction.The composition and structure characterization indicates that the Cu_(2)O nanoparticles are coupled with TiO_(2) nanorods with an intimate contact.Under light illumination,all the TiO_(2)/Cu_(2)O composite nanorods enhance the photocatalytic CO_(2)reduction.In particular,the TiO_(2)/Cu_(2)O-15%sample exhibits the highest CH_(4)yield(1.35μmol g^(-1)h^(-1)) within 4 h irradiation,and it is 3.07 and 15 times higher than that of pristine TiO_(2)nanorods and Cu_(2)O nanoparticles,respectively.The enhanced photoreduction capability of the TiO_(2)/Cu_(2)O-15%is attributed to the intimate construction of Cu_(2)O nanoparticles on TiO_(2) nanorods with formed p-n junction to accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs.This work provides a reference for rational design of a p-n heterojunction photocatalyst for CO_(2) photoreduction.