Photoreduction of Copper Ions Using Silica-Surfactant Hybrid and Titanium (IV) Oxide under Sulfuric Acid Conditions.

Photoreduction of Cu ions to Cu metal by titanium(IV) oxide (TiO) was conducted in the presence of a silica-surfactant hybrid under sulfuric acid conditions. After irradiation, a dark-red color, reflections due to Cu metal in the X-ray diffraction pattern, and peaks due to Cu 2 and 2 in the X-ray photoelectron spectrum indicated the precipitation of Cu metal in the product. In addition, an increase in the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area from 36 and 45 m/g for the silica-surfactant and TiO, respectively, to 591 m/g for the product, and a decrease in the intensity of the C-H stretching band in the Fourier-transform infra-red spectra implied the removal of surfactant during the reaction.