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m-SiO2@Cu and m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu core–shell microspheres: synthesis, characterization and catalytic activities

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Abstract

Two kinds of core–shell composite particles, i.e., mesoporous-SiO2@Cu (m-SiO2@Cu) and mesoporous-SiO2@TiO2@Cu (m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu) microspheres, were synthesized by coating Cu nanoparticles on the surfaces of m-SiO2 and m-SiO2@TiO2 microspheres. Results show that the m-SiO2 spheres have rougher surfaces and larger specific surface areas than the SiO2 microspheres. Compared with the m-SiO2@Cu microsphere, the m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu microsphere has a hollow structure. Both catalysts showed high catalytic activity to degrade methyl violet and methylene blue dyes. The degradations of two dyes using the m-SiO2@Cu approached 100% after 30 min, while it is slightly less, around 90% for the m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu. The catalytic activity of m-SiO2@Cu lies in Cu nanoparticles, which have large specific surface areas and are insensitive to light. The catalytic activity of m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu not only lies in Cu nanoparticles, but also in TiO2, which is sensitive to light. What’s more, Cu and TiO2 work as metal/semiconductor heterojunction, which enhances the electron–hole separation in m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Natural Science Foundation of China (No.21776293 and No.52074183) and National Key Research and Development Program of China (No.2016YFB0601002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Zhihui Li, Junhe Hou, Xin Gu, Lu Gao & Ge Su

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory for High Temperature Materials and Precision Forming, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Zhihui Li & Fei Li

  3. State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Fei Li

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Li, Z., Hou, J., Gu, X. et al. m-SiO2@Cu and m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu core–shell microspheres: synthesis, characterization and catalytic activities. J Mater Sci 57, 4990–5005 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-022-06910-9

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