Partic. vol. 9 no. 3 pp. 260-264 (June 2011)
doi: 10.1016/j.partic.2010.05.017

Preparation and photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanoparticles co-doped with Fe and La

Zhongliang Shi, Xiaoxia Zhang, Shuhua Yao^*

yaoshuhua97@yahoo.com.cn

Abstract

The catalysts of un-doped, single-doped and co-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles were prepared by a sol–gel method with Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ as a Ti source material. The photo-absorbance of the obtained nanoparticles was measured by UV–vis diffusive reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), and the photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples under UV and visible light was estimated by measuring the degradation rate of phenol (50 mg/L) in an aqueous solution. The effect of Fe and La co-dopants on the material properties was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherm measurement. It was shown that the co-doped TiO₂ could be activated by visible light and could thus be used as an effective catalyst in photo-oxidation reactions. The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ co-doped with Fe and La is markedly improved due to the synergistic actions of the two dopants.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Titanium dioxide; Photocatalysis; Co-doping; Phenol