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.