Facile One-Step Route for the Development of in Situ Cocatalyst-Modified Ti3+ Self-Doped TiO2 for Improved Visible-Light Photocatalytic ActivityShow others and affiliations
2016 (English)In: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, ISSN 1944-8244, E-ISSN 1944-8252, Vol. 8, no 41, p. 27642-27653Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Development of visible-light-driven photocatalysts by employing a relatively simple, efficient, and cost-effective one-step process is essential for commercial applications. Herein, we report for the first time the synthesis of in situ Cu-ion modified Ti3+ self-doped rutile TiO2 by such a facile one-step solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) process using a water-soluble titanium precursor. In the SPPS process, Ti3+ self-doping on Ti4+ of rutile TiO2 is found to take place because of electron transfer from the created oxygen vacancies to Ti4+-ions. In situ Cu modification of the above Ti3+ self-doped rutile TiO2 by additionally introducing a Cu solution into plasma plume is also demonstrated. While the Ti3+ self-doping induces broad absorption in the visible-light region, the addition of Cu ion leads to even broader absorption in the visible region owing to resulting synergistic properties. The above materials were evaluated for various self-cleaning photocatalytic applications under visible-light illumination. Cu-ion modified Ti3+ self-doped rutile TiO2 is noted to exhibit a remarkably enhanced visible-light activity in comparison with Ti3+ self-doped rutile TiO2, with the latter itself outperforming commercial TiO2photocatalysts, thereby suggesting the suitability of the material for indoor applications. The broad visible-light absorption by Ti3+ self-doping, the holes with strong oxidation power generated in the valence band, and electrons in Ti3+ isolated states that are effectively separated into the high reductive sites of Cu ions upon visible-light irradiation, accounts for improved photocatalytic activity. Moreover, the synthesis process (SPPS) provides a valuable alternative to orthodox multistep processes for the preparation of such visible-light-driven photocatalysts.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2016. Vol. 8, no 41, p. 27642-27653
Keywords [en]
Cocatalyst, rutile TiO2, self-cleaning, self-doping, solution precursor plasma spray, visible-light
National Category
Manufacturing, Surface and Joining Technology
Research subject
ENGINEERING, Manufacturing and materials engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-10278DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b07000OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hv-10278DiVA, id: diva2:1056719
2016-12-152016-12-152019-05-15Bibliographically approved