F-Doped Titanium Dioxide Modified by Copper Preparation and Characterization

This work is dedicated to preparation and research of copper-containing solid-state mixed oxides based on F-doped titanium dioxide. All materials were prepared by hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide. NH4F was used as F‑ions source. Copper was introduced to the system in two ways: by impregnation from its copper nitrate and directly in the process of titanium dioxide synthesis. Microstructure, phase composition and surface area were studied by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and low temperature nitrogen adsorption respectively. All materials have nanostructured porous structure and the majority of them contain only one TiO2 phase – anatase. States of the elements were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photoluminescence spectra (PL) show low intensity of photoluminescence for TiO2 and F-TiO2 samples and no photoluminescence for copper-containing samples. The absence of photoluminescence for copper-containing samples is associated with efficient charge transfer and separation.