Effect of Fe and/or N on the photoactivity of TiO2 prepared by sol-gel method

Mono- and co-doped TiO2 photocatalyst were synthesized using sol–gel method followed with calcination process. The effect of Fe and/or N on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of TiO2 was studied. The samples were characterized using XRD, FESEM, and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to study the changes in the properties due to the presence of the dopants. XRD diffraction analysis shows anatase structure in all samples. FESEM images exhibit agglomerated particles with grain size of 30–40 nm. A slight shift of the absorption edge to higher wavelength up to 480 nm was observed due to the addition of mono- and co-doped Fe and/or N, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of all samples was assessed by testing the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light.Mono- and co-doped TiO2 photocatalyst were synthesized using sol–gel method followed with calcination process. The effect of Fe and/or N on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of TiO2 was studied. The samples were characterized using XRD, FESEM, and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to study the changes in the properties due to the presence of the dopants. XRD diffraction analysis shows anatase structure in all samples. FESEM images exhibit agglomerated particles with grain size of 30–40 nm. A slight shift of the absorption edge to higher wavelength up to 480 nm was observed due to the addition of mono- and co-doped Fe and/or N, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of all samples was assessed by testing the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light.