Enhanced visible-light responsive photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2 thoroughly mesoporous nanofibers

Improving the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 semiconductor is crucially important and highly desired for its practical applications. In the present work, aiming to broaden the photoresponse window and limit the photocatalyst aggregation, we reported the exploration of N-doped TiO2 thoroughly mesoporous nanofibers with high purity in morphology via a foaming-assisted electrospinning strategy. The foaming agents and urea were introduced in the raw materials to create the mesopores and incorporate the N dopants into the conventional solid TiO2 nanofibers, respectively, which could be accomplished simultaneously over one-step calcination process. The synergetic combination of N dopants and one-dimensional mesoporous nanostructure allow the TiO2 fibers to exhibit significantly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity toward the Rhodamine B and hydrogen evolution, as compared to those of N-doped solid and intrinsic thoroughly mesoporous counterparts, suggesting their promising applications in water purification and energy supply.