CuO-NiO-TiO sub(2) bimetallic nanocomposites for catalytic applications

Abstract

CuO-NiO-TiO sub(2) nanocomposites with of 0.01-5.0 wt. percent of Cu:Ni (1:1) supported on TiO sub(2) were prepared by a decomposition method. The catalysts structure and chemical composition were studied by means of XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, FT-IR, UV-DRS, BET-analysis and compared for direct sunlight photo-degradation of methylene blue with commercial P25 catalyst. These studies revealed that the catalyst efficiency solely depends on the percentage of Cu-Ni dopants. The catalyst with low metal dopants displayed better photocatalytic activity. The optimum doping concentration for photo-degradation was 0.05 wt. percent. The nanocomposite with higher metal loading (5.0 wt. percent) was effectively employed as heterogenous catalyst for selective reduction of nitro benzene to aniline using sodium borohydride and for air oxidation of tertiary amine functionality to a tertiary amide. The synergistic effect of the metals was confirmed by comparing the catalytic activity with individual metal dopings.