Meryem Amar (a), Frederic Dappozze (b), Ouafa Tahiri Alaoui (a), Chantal Guillard (b), Gilles Berhault (b)
a. UMI–Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, CPEE, Errachidia, Morocco
b. IRCE-Lyon, CNRS Universite Lyon I, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
The increasing presence of phenolic pollutants in aquatic environments has become a major environmental concern due to their toxicity, persistence, and resistance to conventional treatment methods [1]. Advanced oxidation processes, particularly heterogeneous photocatalysis, offer an effective and sustainable approach for degrading such contaminants using solar energy. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) remains one of the most widely studied photocatalysts, although its activity is mainly restricted to UV light because of its wide band gap [2].
To overcome this limitation and enhance visible-light activation, the incorporation of copper into TiO₂ has been investigated as a promising strategy due to its ability to modify electronic properties, promote charge separation, and introduce new optical transitions [3].
The objective of this work is to develop and optimize Cu–TiO₂ photocatalysts capable of efficiently degrading phenolic compounds under both UV and visible light. This includes assessing how different copper contents influence the structural, optical, and photocatalytic performance of the material, with the aim of identifying the most effective composition for solar-driven water treatment applications.