Abstract
A series of metallic copper (Cu)‐decorated microsized, nanoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) materials with different loadings of Cu were synthesized by in situ hydrolysis of Sn2+‐grafted titanium glycolate microspheres in the presence of Cu2+ ions. The resulting materials showed good photocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction with water. In particular, the material prepared with an optimal loading of Cu (≈0.4 wt %) exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for the reduction of CO2 to hydrocarbon fuel (CH4), with an efficiency that was 21‐fold higher than that of the most commonly studied and utilized commercial photocatalyst, Degussa P25 TiO2, under similar reaction conditions.
Active duty: Metallic copper‐decorated nanoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) microparticles that can efficiently photocatalyze the reduction of CO2 with H2O to a hydrocarbon fuel (CH4) are reported. With an optimal loading of Cu, the catalyst shows catalytic activity that is 21‐fold higher than that of commercial TiO2 (P25, Degussa).