Synthesis of MOF templated Cu/CuO@TiO2 nanocomposites for synergistic hydrogen production.

A copper metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF) provides access to Cu/CuO@TiO2 hybrid nanocomposites with highly dispersive copper species adsorbed on a TiO2 semiconducting system. This novel nanostructure exhibits efficient hydrogen evolution performance under solar illumination of intensity ∼1 Sun. The rate of H2 production was systematically optimized under different operational parameters. Experimental observation reveals that mesoporous Cu/CuO@TiO2 nanocomposite with 0.5 wt% Cu loading showed the highest rate of H2 production (286 mmol g(-1) h(-1)), which is considerably higher than that of CuO loaded TiO2 prepared using a conventional impregnation method. This high photocatalytic H2 production activity is attributed predominantly to the presence of surface deposited Cu(0) species and the small size of the heterojunction (1-2 nm) between CuO and TiO2, which facilitate interfacial charge carrier transfer from the TiO2 nanoparticles. The catalyst showed good recyclability under prolonged exposure (30 h) to solar irradiation. Unlike many Pt decorated TiO2 photocatalysts, this hybrid photocatalyst provides an inexpensive means of harnessing solar energy.