Modified TiO2 particles for heterogeneous photocatalysis under solar irradiation

Titanium dioxide is one of the most potential photocatalysts in the area of industrial advanced oxidation. Because TiO2 only responses to ultraviolet, modified TiO2 was widely studied to expand its utilization under solar irradiation. Photocatalytic degradation efficiency depends on two critical factors: the band gap width of photocatalyst and the concentration of surface Ti3+. Herein, hydrogenated TiO2, fluorine doped TiO2 and hydrogenated fluorine-doped TiO2 were synthesized and characterized. The effects of various modifications on photocatalysis under solar irradiation were studied. It was revealed that hydrogenation improved the solar-irradiated degradation by simultaneously modified the bandgap of TiO2 to a visible-light-favored width and created more Ti3+ sites. The degradation by photocatalysis was not always enhanced by nonmetal doping. The F doping process would also reduce the amount of Ti3+ and further impede the formation of O-2(-). (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.