LAUSR

Abstract Photocatalytic hydrogen production under the visible spectrum of solar light is an important topic of research. To achieve the targeted visible light hydrogen production and improve the charge carrier utilization, bandgap engineering and surface modification of the photocatalyst plays a vital role. Present work reports the one-pot synthesis of Cu–TiO2/CuO nanocomposite photocatalyst using green surfactant -aided -ultrasonication method. The materials characterization data reveals the TiO2 particle size of 20–25 nm and the existence of copper in the lattice as well as in the surface of anatase TiO2. This is expected to facilitate better optical and surface properties. The optimized photocatalyst shows enhanced H2 production rate of 10,453 μmol h−1 g−1 of the catalyst which is 21 fold higher than pure TiO2 nanoparticles. The photocatalyst was tested for degradation of methylene blue dye (90% in 4 h) in aqueous solution and photocatalytic reduction of toxic Cr6+ ions (55% in 4 h) in aqueous solution. A plausible mechanistic pathway is also proposed.