N, B, Si-tridoped mesoporous TiO2 with high surface area and excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity

N, B, Si-tridoped mesoporous TiO2, together with N-doped, N, B-codoped and N, Si-codoped TiO2, was prepared by a modified sol–gel method. The samples were characterized by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD), N2 adsorption–desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–visible adsorbance spectra (UV–vis) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). The N, B, Si-tridoped mesoporous TiO2 showed small crystallite size, large specific surface area (350 m2/g), uniform pore distribution (3.2 nm) and strong absorption in the visible light region. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by the photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) aqueous solution. The N, B, Si-tridoping sample exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity compared with other synthesized photocatalysts. The high activity could be attributed to the strong absorption in the visible light region, large specific surface area, small crystallite size, large amount of surface hydroxyl groups, and mesoporosity.