Construction of TiO 2 /CuPc Heterojunctions for the Efficient Photocatalytic Reduction of CO 2 with Water.

Utilizing solar energy for photocatalytic CO 2 reduction is an attractive research field because of its convenience, safety, and practicality. The selection of an appropriate photocatalyst is the key to achieve efficient CO 2 reduction. Herein, we report the synthesis of TiO 2 /CuPc heterojunctions by compositing CuPc with TiO 2 microspheres via a hydroxyl-induced self-assembly process. The experimental investigations demonstrated that the optimal TiO 2 /0.5CuPc photocatalyst exhibited a significantly enhanced CO 2 photoreduction rate up to 32.4 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 under 300 W xenon lamp irradiation, which was 3.7 times that of the TiO 2 microspheres alone. The results of photoelectrochemical experiments indicated that the construction of the heterojunctions by introducing CuPc effectively promoted the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers, thus enhancing the catalytic effect of the photocatalyst.