Visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance of nitrogen-doped Ti{sub 1−x}Zr{sub x}O{sub 2} solid solution

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► Dual modifications on the energy band of TiO{sub 2} are achieved by N and Zr co-doping. ► Nitrogen and zirconium dopants have different doping positions in the catalyst. ► A synergic impact of nitrogen and zirconium on photocatalytic activity is obse...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials research bulletin 2013-02, Vol.48 (2)
Main Authors: Gao, Bifen, Luo, Xiuzhen, Fu, Hao, Lin, Bizhou, Chen, Yilin, Gu, Zhanjun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AMMONIA
BENZENE
CATALYSTS
CHARGE CARRIERS
DOPED MATERIALS
EFFICIENCY
IRRADIATION
MATERIALS SCIENCE
NITROGEN
PHOTOCATALYSIS
SOLID SOLUTIONS
SURFACES
TITANIUM OXIDES
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ZIRCONIUM
ZIRCONIUM IONS
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► Dual modifications on the energy band of TiO{sub 2} are achieved by N and Zr co-doping. ► Nitrogen and zirconium dopants have different doping positions in the catalyst. ► A synergic impact of nitrogen and zirconium on photocatalytic activity is observed. ► A mechanism for the high performance of nitrogen-doped Ti{sub 1−x}Zr{sub x}O{sub 2} solid solution is proposed. -- Abstract: Nitrogen-doped Ti{sub 1−x}Zr{sub x}O{sub 2} solid solutions have been synthesized by a multi-step sol–gel process followed by hydrothermal treatment in ammonia solution. XRD, XPS and UV–vis diffuse reflectance analyses indicated that nitrogen was doped in the surface layer of catalyst, introducing surface states located close to valence band. However, Zr{sup 4+} was successfully incorporated into the bulk lattice of TiO{sub 2} so as to induce the up-shift of conduction band. Compared to pristine TiO{sub 2} and nitrogen-doped TiO{sub 2}, nitrogen-doped Ti{sub 1−x}Zr{sub x}O{sub 2} exhibited much higher efficiency for the degradation of Acid Red 88 solution and gaseous benzene under visible light irradiation, attributed to the synergetic effect of nitrogen and zirconium on the energy band. Specifically, the presence of surface states in the band gap enabled the extended visible light response and the up-shift of conduction band facilitated the excited electron interfacial transfer and hence suppressed efficiently the recombination of charge carriers.
ISSN:0025-5408
1873-4227
DOI:10.1016/J.MATERRESBULL.2012.11.044