Enhanced photocatalytic activity of mesoporous S-N-codoped TiO2 loaded with Ag nanoparticles

Mesoporous S-N-codoped TiO2 photocatalyst loaded with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via a facile photochemical deposition approach. The samples were characterized by using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and UV-visible spectra. TEM images showed that metallic Ag NPs were deposited on S-N-codoped TiO2 NPs, which was further confirmed by EDS and surface plasmon absorption shown in UV-visible spectra. The samples possessed a homogeneous pore diameter and a high surface area of 153.3 m(2) g(-1) for the Ag-loaded S-N-codoped TiO2-vis samples, which facilitated the great enhancement of adsorption capacity for dye methyl orange (MO) molecules. Compared with S-N-codoped TiO2, Ag-loaded photocatalysts exhibited significantly enhanced catalytic activity under visible irradiation (lambda >= 420 nm), which was more than 14 times higher photocatalytic activity for MO degradation than that of P25 TiO2 under the same condition.