Effect of Nitrogen Doping on Structural and Optical Properties of TiO2 Nanoparticles

TiO2 has materialized as an excellent heterogeneous photocatalyst for environmental and energy fields, including air and water splitting. It has 3.2 eV band gap with the absorption edge at near-UV light. Tuning of the band gap of TiO2 into visible region is achieved by the doping of nitrogen. The optimum compositions of N doped TiO2 NPs are prepared by sol-gel method at room temperature. The structural phase formation of materials is analyzed by XRD studies, which shows anatase phase. The crystallite size is calculated from XRD data, which is in nanometer range. FTIR spectra are studied to confirm the O-Ti-O, O-Ti-N bonding in N-doped TiO2 and formation of -OH groups on the surface, which can extensively affect the TiO2 band structure and surface of catalyst. The morphology of samples is investigated by FESEM and HR-TEM. The compositional stoichiometry is confirmed by EDAX analysis. An optical study is confirmed by UV-Visible spectrophotometer.