Fabrication, characterization and photocatalytic activity of Gd3+-doped titania nanoparticles with mesostructure

Abstract Gd 3+ -doped mesoporous TiO 2 (m-TiO 2 ) nanoparticles were synthesized via hydrothermal process by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant-directing agent and pore-forming agent. The resulting products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), diffuse reflection spectra (DRS), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) etc. Experimental results indicate that different Gd 3+ -doping levels make great impact on the photocatalytic activity of the obtained m-TiO 2 nanoparticles and the 3.5 at.% Gd 3+ -doped m-TiO 2 nanoparticles calcined at 300 °C exhibit the optimal photoactivity on the degradation of Rhodamine B (RB), which is as nearly two times as that of the commercial photocatalyst P25. The mesoporosity, anatase wall as well as the cooperativity of ‘lattice Gd 3+ ’ and ‘free Gd 3+ ’ in the m-TiO 2 nanoparticles can be used to explain the observed high photoactivity of the doped m-TiO 2 nanoparticles.