One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of Si doped TiO2 nanotubes from commercial material sources for visible light-driven photocatalytic activity

This is first time Si-doped TiO2 nanotubes (Si:TNTs) were particularly simply synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal synthesis using commercial TiO2 and SiO2 as source materials. Results show that Si atoms were inserted into the TNT crystal lattice and forming Si-O-Ti bonds, which accelerate photogenerated electrons and therefore greatly improve the phenol photodegradation of TNTs under visible light, about 9 times higher than undoped TNTs. The formation mechanism of the Si:TNTs is thoroughly discussed in this study. This study provides a potential way for building novel material for organic pollutants photodegradation.