Photocatalytic Properties and the Role of Ce in Co-Doped TiO2 with Ce and N

Ce and/or N doped TiO2 catalysts were prepared by sol-gel process with tetrabutyl titanate, cerium nitrate and ammonia as raw materials. The photo catalytic activity of the as-prepared catalysts under both ultraviolet and visible light irradiation was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange. Significant improvement of photocatalytic activity were observed by codoping of TiO2 with Ce and N. X-ray diffraction (XRD), low temperature N-2 adsorption (BET), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), temperature programmed desorption of oxygen (TPD), temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) methods were employed to characterize the as-prepared photocatalysts for the elucidation of effects of crystal structure and surface morphology, specific surface area, optical characteristics and oxygen storage/release properties of doped catalyst on its photocatalytic performance. It has been shown that the role of proper amount Of Cc in doped catalysts played as to enhance the thermal stability of catalyst for the Suppression of growth or aggregation of crystal particles and transition of crystal phase from anantase to rutile, to promote the circulation of oxygen storage/release, and concomitantly, increase the optical absorbance, extend the light response to the visible region, suppress the recombination of charge carrier by trapping of photoinduced electrons, derive active radical species, and simultaneously, have a favorable effect on the BET surface area increase.