Preparation and characterization of nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalyst in different acid environments

Nitrogen-doped TiO2 powders were successfully prepared by a wet method, i.e., a microemulsion sion-hydrothermal method, in different acid environments. Several characterization techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra, were combined to determine the crystal phase, concentration and chemical states of the nitrogen doped in TiO2. The high photocatalytic activity of the nitrogen-doped TiO2 was evaluated through the decomposition of rhodanmine B under visible light irradiation. It was suggested that the doped nitrogen formed oxynitride (NO) and produced impurity states at higher above the valence band of TiO2. Therefore, the nitrogen doping could enhance the response of photocatalyst to the visible light and improve the photocatalytic activity because of the narrowing of band gap of TiO2.