Synthesis of a 2D Cu@TiO2 composite via the design of a 1D Cu-based coordination polymer precursor for efficient and selective photodegradation of dyes

A 2D Cu@TiO2 composite with a porous and crystalline structure was successfully synthesized via one-step and low-temperature calcination of a 1D Cu-based coordination polymer (Cu-CP), namely [Cu2(3-dpha)(1,4-NDC)2(H2O)3]n (3-dpha = N,N′-bis(3-pyridyl)adipamide and 1,4-H2NDC = 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid). Moreover, the Cu@TiO2 membrane was fabricated by a simple filtration of the as-grown Cu@TiO2 composite. Compared with the benchmark TiO2 photocatalyst, the Cu@TiO2 composite material with high specific surface area and reduced photogenerated electron–hole ratio exhibited good photodegradation activity and durability for gentian violet (GV), which could be attributed to the combined effect of co-doping of Cu and TiO2 structure. Furthermore, the ·OH and ·O2− radicals were predicted to dominate the photocatalytic process. Therefore, this new efficient photocatalyst is a promising candidate for efficient and selective photodegradation of organic pollutants.