Microstructures and Photocatalytic Properties of Fe3+/Ce 3+ Codoped Nanocrystalline TiO 2 Films

Qu, Yan-zhen; Yao, Ming-ming; Li, Fang; Sun, Xiao-hu

Microstructures and Photocatalytic Properties of Fe3+/Ce 3+ Codoped Nanocrystalline TiO 2 Films

2011

Qu, Yan-zhen | Yao, Ming-ming | Li, Fang | Sun, Xiao-hu

Fe3+ and Ce3+ codoped titanium dioxide films with high photocatalytic activity were successfully obtained via the improved sol–gel process. The as-prepared specimens were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the films were evaluated by degradation of various organic dyes in aqueous solutions. The results of XRD, FE-SEM, and BET analyses indicated that the TiO2 film had nanostructure. With the codoping of Fe3+ and Ce3+, TiO2 photocatalysts with smaller crystal size, larger surface area, and larger pore volume were obtained. Moreover, codoped ions could obviously not only suppress the formation of brookite phase but also inhibit the transformation of anatase to rutile at high temperature. Compared with pure TiO2 film, Fe3+ doped or Ce3+ doped TiO2 film, the Fe3+/Ce3+ codoped TiO2 film exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity. It is believed that the surface microstructure of the films and the doping methods of the ions are responsible for improving the photocatalytic activity.

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