Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped group IVB visible-light-photoactive metal oxide nanoparticles

The controlled nitrogen doping of group IVB metal oxide nanoparticles is achieved by a reliable wet-chemical procedure to yield the structures shown in the figure. The resulting nanoparticles show visible-light activity and enhanced photocatalytic properties that can be attributed to the introduction of oxygen vacancies, additional nitrogen states, and defects in the metal oxide lattice.