Study of the oxidation state and the structural aspects of the V-doped TiO2

A modified sol-gel method for synthesizing vanadium doped titania is being reported. These materials were thoroughly characterized for their oxidation states by electron paramagnetic resonance and x-ray absorption near edge structure and the local environment of the V-atom were investigated by the x-ray absorption fine structure. V-doped titania was found to be more active than nanotitania for photo-oxidation of methane in air under ambient conditions using UV-visible irradiation. The vanadium doping in the crystal lattice of titania leads to a mixture of oxidation states of 4+ and 5+ in the crystal lattice sites of the TiO2, which is crucial for its catalytic activity.