Structure and high photocatalytic activity of (N, Ta)-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

A hydrothermal method was used to prepare three nano-crystalline samples of TiO2 (S1), N-doped TiO2 (S2), and (N, Ta)-codoped TiO2 (S3) with average crystallite sizes (D) of 13-25 nm. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed a single phase of the samples with a tetragonal/anatase structure. A slight increase in the lattice parameters was observed when N and/or Ta dopants were doped into the TiO2 host lattice. Detailed analyses of extended X-ray absorption spectra indicated that N- and/or Ta-doping into TiO2 nanoparticles influenced the co-ordination number and radial distance (R) of Ti ions in the anatase structure. Concerning their absorption spectra, (N, Ta)-doping narrowed the band gap (Eg) of TiO2 from 3.03 eV for S1 through 2.94 eV for S2 to 2.85 eV for S3. Such results revealed the applicability of these nanoparticles in the photocatalytic field working in the ultraviolet (UV)-visible region. Among these, photocatalytic activity of S3 was the strongest. By using S3 as a catalyst powder, the degradation efficiency of methylene blue solution was about 99% and 93% after irradiation of UV-visible light for 75 min and visible-light for 180 min, respectively. Published by AIP Publishing.