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Effect of Nb doping on structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of flame-made TiO2 nanopowder

  • Photocatalysis: fundamentals and applications in JEP 2011, Bordeaux
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Abstract

TiO2:Nb nanopowders within a dopant concentration in the range of 0.1–15 at.% were prepared by one-step flame spray synthesis. Effect of niobium doping on structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide nanopowders was studied. Morphology and structure were investigated by means of Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Diffuse reflectance and the resulting band gap energy were determined by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity of the investigated nanopowders was revised for the photodecomposition of methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO) and 4-chlorophenol under UVA and VIS light irradiation. Commercial TiO2-P25 nanopowder was used as a reference. The specific surface area of the powders was ranging from 42.9 m2/g for TiO2:0.1 at.% Nb to 90.0 m2/g for TiO2:15 at.% Nb. TiO2:Nb particles were nanosized, spherically shaped and polycrystalline. Anatase was the predominant phase in all samples. The anatase-related transition was at 3.31 eV and rutile-related one at 3.14 eV. TiO2:Nb nanopowders exhibited additional absorption in the visible range. In comparison to TiO2-P25, improved photocatalytic activity of TiO2:Nb was observed for the degradation of MB and MO under both UVA and VIS irradiation, where low doping level (Nb < 1 at.%) was the most effective. Niobium doping affected structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO2. Low dopant level enhanced photocatalytic performance under UVA and VIS irradiation. Therefore, TiO2:Nb (Nb < 1 at.%) can be proposed as an efficient selective solar light photocatalyst.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, 8600, Duebendorf, Switzerland

    Katarzyna A. Michalow, Dorota Flak & Thomas Graule

  2. Marketing, Knowledge & Technology Transfer, Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, 8600, Duebendorf, Switzerland

    Andre Heel

  3. Electron Microscopy Center, Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, 8600, Duebendorf, Switzerland

    Magdalena Parlinska-Wojtan

  4. Faculty of Material Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059, Krakow, Poland

    Dorota Flak & Mieczyslaw Rekas

  5. Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Rzeszow, ul. Rejtana 16a, 35-959, Rzeszow, Poland

    Magdalena Parlinska-Wojtan

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  1. Katarzyna A. Michalow
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  2. Dorota Flak
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Correspondence to Katarzyna A. Michalow.

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Michalow, K.A., Flak, D., Heel, A. et al. Effect of Nb doping on structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of flame-made TiO2 nanopowder. Environ Sci Pollut Res 19, 3696–3708 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-0953-6

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