Effect of TiO2 nanoparticle loading by sol–gel method on the gas-phase photocatalytic activity of CuxO–TiO2 nanocomposite

In this study, multicomponent CuxO–TiO2 (x = 1 or 2) nanocomposite was used as a photocatalyst to eliminate 2-propanol in gas-phase media under both UV and sunlight-type irradiation. The specimens were fabricated by a two-step synthesis including solution treatment–thermal oxidation for CuxO and consequently sol–gel method for applying TiO2 nanoparticles. The present study focused on analyzing the role of TiO2 content on the photocatalytic behavior of the CuxO–TiO2 nanocomposites with varying Ti/Cu atomic ratio. The results showed that the nanocomposite formed successfully in desirable structure and morphology. Moreover, the nanocomposite material having Ti/Cu = 0.6 displayed improved activity concerning both reaction rate and quantum efficiency. Furthermore, it is proved that these nanocomposite materials are stable for photoactivity application. Finally, the kinetic study was carried out with modeling 2-propanol degradation based on the reaction mechanism. The experimental and predicted data obtained under different operational working conditions were in good agreement.