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<p>Despite the favorable properties of TiO<sub>2</sub>–ZnO composites, several limitations remain. Incorporating transition-metal dopants into the TiO<sub>2</sub>–ZnO system is an effective strategy to address these shortcomings. A combined sol–gel and electrospinning technique was used to fabricate Cu-TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZnO nanofibers (NFs), and the role of Cu dopant concentration in modifying their morphological, optical, structural, thermal, and photocatalytic activity was investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that Cu doping enhanced the thermal stability of the TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZnO NFs, as reflected in the lower weight loss exhibited by the doped TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZnO NFs relative to the pristine TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZnO NF. The presence of anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> and wurtzite ZnO was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Cu incorporation influenced crystallinity and crystallite size through lattice distortion and defect formation. At higher Cu concentrations, continuous nanofiber formation with a decrease in average fiber diameter was observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The FTIR spectra showed similar characteristic absorption bands for all samples, indicating that Cu doping did not substantially modify the chemical bonding environment within the TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZnO NF. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) analysis demonstrated a gradual narrowing of the band gap from 3.27&#xa0;eV for undoped TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZnO to 2.80&#xa0;eV for 3.0&#xa0;wt% Cu-doped samples, indicating improved light absorption induced by Cu-related impurity states. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated through methylene blue degradation (MB) under UV and sunlight irradiation, where the 1.0&#xa0;wt% Cu-doped TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZnO nanofibers exhibited the highest degradation efficiency of 94.01% and complete degradation with a rate constant of 6.70 × 10⁻<sup>3</sup>&#xa0;min⁻<sup>1</sup> and 28.37 × 10⁻<sup>3</sup>&#xa0;min⁻<sup>1</sup>, respectively.</p>

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Tuning the Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2/ZnO Nanofibers via Cu Dopant Concentration

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月16日

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  • Adlin Muslimin,
  • Mohd Zaki Mohd Yusoff,
  • Nurmalessa Muhammad,
  • Suraya Ahmad Kamil

摘要

Despite the favorable properties of TiO2–ZnO composites, several limitations remain. Incorporating transition-metal dopants into the TiO2–ZnO system is an effective strategy to address these shortcomings. A combined sol–gel and electrospinning technique was used to fabricate Cu-TiO2/ZnO nanofibers (NFs), and the role of Cu dopant concentration in modifying their morphological, optical, structural, thermal, and photocatalytic activity was investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that Cu doping enhanced the thermal stability of the TiO2/ZnO NFs, as reflected in the lower weight loss exhibited by the doped TiO2/ZnO NFs relative to the pristine TiO2/ZnO NF. The presence of anatase TiO2 and wurtzite ZnO was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Cu incorporation influenced crystallinity and crystallite size through lattice distortion and defect formation. At higher Cu concentrations, continuous nanofiber formation with a decrease in average fiber diameter was observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The FTIR spectra showed similar characteristic absorption bands for all samples, indicating that Cu doping did not substantially modify the chemical bonding environment within the TiO2/ZnO NF. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) analysis demonstrated a gradual narrowing of the band gap from 3.27 eV for undoped TiO2/ZnO to 2.80 eV for 3.0 wt% Cu-doped samples, indicating improved light absorption induced by Cu-related impurity states. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated through methylene blue degradation (MB) under UV and sunlight irradiation, where the 1.0 wt% Cu-doped TiO2/ZnO nanofibers exhibited the highest degradation efficiency of 94.01% and complete degradation with a rate constant of 6.70 × 10⁻3 min⁻1 and 28.37 × 10⁻3 min⁻1, respectively.