Preparation of N-doped TiO2 particles by plasma surface modification

Abstract A cold plasma is useful for surface modification of solid materials. In this work, plasma surface modification is tried to prepare visible-light active TiO 2 particles of which the surface is doped with nitrogen. A film composed of the particles was formed on the surface of a glass substrate by spin-casting of TiO 2 sol and then was sintered at 673 K. The film was treated with argon and nitrogen plasmas, in series. The plasma-treated film revealed visible-light absorption, in addition to ultraviolet-light absorption. Photocatalytic activity of the film was evaluated by using methylene blue and visible-light (wavelength > 420 nm). An increase of the photocatalytic activity in the film will be originated by the formation of Ti–N bonds which bring about the appearance of the visible-light activity. To cite this article: Y. Kenji et al., C. R. Chimie 9 (2006) .