Selenium-Modified TiO2 and Its Impact on Photocatalysis

This work describes the preparation of a selenium-modified TiO2 photocatalyst and a preliminary evaluation of its photocatalytic activity. Se-TiO2 displayed greater visible absorption than undoped TiO2 and was still capable of degrading quinoline at a slightly faster rate than undoped TiO2 under UV light. Se-TiO2 was also able to degrade organic molecules under purely visible light by a single electron transfer pathway. Irradiation with >435 nm light showed no evidence of efficient production of HO center dot-like species. Se-TiO2 was also examined under hypoxic conditions, where the Se atoms were capable of trapping photogenerated electrons as evidenced by XPS.