Facile Preparation and Visible-light Photocatalysis Enhancement of N-Doped β-TiO2 Nanobelts

A facile preparation of nitrogen-doped beta-TiO2(N-doped beta-TiO2) nanobelts and their visible-light photocatalytic activity were reported. The preparation of N-doped beta-TiO2 nanobelts consisted of cation-exchange between layered sodium titanate nanobelts and NH4+ in aqueous solution at room temperature and subsequent calcination in air. Such a calcination treatment is beneficial to the formation of monoclinic N-doped beta-TiO2 nanobelts. Various measurement results indicate that not only were the nitrogen atoms doped into the lattice of beta-TiO2 nanobelts resulting in a strong visible-light absorption, but also a large number of defects were caused by them in the lattice, increasing the stability of beta-TiO2. The photocatalysis enhancement of N-doped beta-TiO2 nanobelts for the photodegradation of Rhodamine B was demonstrated.