Preparation of (Fe, N)-Doped TiO2 Powders and Their Antibacterial Activities Under Visible Light Irradiation

Yellowish (Fe, N)-doped nanocrystalline TiO2 powders have been prepared using TiOSO4, CO(NH2)(2), Fe(NO3)(3)center dot 9H(2)O and CN3H5 center dot HCl as precursors by hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized powders were anatase in phase and the grain size was about 10 nm according to the TEM photos. The ratio of Fe/Ti is 2.2 at% and N/O is 0.8 at% respectively. TiO2 powders were mixed with organic silicon and acrylic syrup to test their antibacterial performance by the colony counting method. The results show that the sterilization ratio of E. coli by the heat-treated (Fe, N)doped nanocrystalline TiO2 powders is reached up to 94.5% while that of the powders without any heat treatment is 91.1% by 8 hours-400 lux-visible-light irradiation with humidity of 55% RH.