Photoreduction of Copper Ions Using Silica–Surfactant Hybrid and Titanium (IV) Oxide under Sulfuric Acid Conditions

Photoreduction of Cu(2+) ions to Cu metal by titanium(IV) oxide (TiO(2)) was conducted in the presence of a silica–surfactant hybrid under sulfuric acid conditions. After irradiation, a dark-red color, reflections due to Cu metal in the X-ray diffraction pattern, and peaks due to Cu 2p(1/2) and 2p(3/2) in the X-ray photoelectron spectrum indicated the precipitation of Cu metal in the product. In addition, an increase in the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area from 36 and 45 m(2)/g for the silica–surfactant and TiO(2), respectively, to 591 m(2)/g for the product, and a decrease in the intensity of the C-H stretching band in the Fourier–transform infra-red spectra implied the removal of surfactant during the reaction. These characteristics were never observed when TiO(2) was used solely. Therefore, this study indicated that the photoreduction of Cu(2+) ions to Cu metal by TiO(2) was facilitated under the sulfuric acid medium, where the surfactants extracted from silica–surfactant hybrids by protons in the acidic condition were successfully photo-oxidized by TiO(2). Thus, this study presents a new application of the conversion of a silica–surfactant hybrid into mesoporous silicas.