Electronic properties and photodegradation ability of V-TiO2 for aniline

Photocatalytic technology has broad prospects in the degradation of organic pollutants due to its green, energysaving and high-efficiency characteristics. In this study, TiO2 and V-TiO2 were prepared by hydrothermal method, and the catalysts were tested by experimental and theoretical calculations under a 400 W metal halide lamp degradation efficiency for aniline (30 mg/L). The synthetic photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, HRTEM, FT-IR, XPS, UV-Vis DRS, PL, EIS, and photocurrent, the results showed that the edges of the V-doped TiO2 absorption band were redshifted, the band gap value were reduced, the photocatalytic activity were improved, and the PL showed e(-)/h+ had the lowest composite rate for 1.5 mol%V-TiO2 and broadens the optical response range. 1.5 mol% V was the optimal value for photodegrading aniline, and moderate V modification can significantly inhibit the complexation of e(-)/h+ pairs. Finally, stability measurements performed over 5 cycles show that 1.5 mol%V-TiO2 has excellent stability. The calculation results show that the optical band gap of V-TiO2 were significantly reduced, the photocatalytic performance of V-TiO2 were greatly enhanced.

Automated summary

Photocatalytic technology using TiO2 and V-TiO2 as catalysts showed improved degradation efficiency for aniline. The V-doped TiO2 exhibited redshifted absorption band edges, reduced band gap value, improved photocatalytic activity, and broadened optical response range. The optimal V concentration for degrading aniline was found to be 1.5 mol%, and moderate V modification inhibited the complexation of e(-)/h+ pairs effectively.