Preparation of hybrid Cu/TiO₂ photocatalyst responsive towards UV-light (effect on incubation temperature) / Nor Atikah Jembari

In this work, the preparation of hybrid CuO/TiO₂ photocatalyst by using wet impregnation method at different incubation temperature was carried out. The physical characterization of the hybrid photocatalyst was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), FESEM and Brunauer-EmmettTeller (BET). The photocatalytic activity was determined through the percentage degradation of Methyl Orange under uv light irradiation. The observed results of photocatalytic activity suggested that the incubation temperature of 50 °C is the optimum incubation temperature as the percentage degradation recorded highest value of 82.06 %. From hybrid CuO/ TiO₂ photocatalyst characterization result, the copper elements were not detected in XRD analysis. The anatase peak at 2 showed only peak after incorporated with CuO at different incubation temperature. However, the CuO could be detected in the EDX mapping for hybrid CuO/ TiO₂ photocatalyst, before and after degradation. The surface area of hybrid CuO/ TiO₂ photocatalyst, before and after degradation is higher than bare which recorded 8.8137m²/g and 9.7521m²/g , respectively while bare is 2.0801m²/g . Photocatalyts that synthesized at 50 °C has the best uv light respons and the highest photodegradation activity.