Continuous one-step synthesis of N-doped titania under supercritical and subcritical water conditions for photocatalytic reaction under visible light

Abstract

N-doped titania was prepared continuously by one-step synthetic method under supercritical and subcritical water conditions using titanium(IV)tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and nitric acid as a titania precursor and nitrogen source, respectively. The synthesized N-doped titania particles were characterized by XRD, N(2)-adsorption, TEM, XPS, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. N-doped titania was successfully synthesized and its crystalline structure was homogenous anatase phase with high surface area. The absorption edge of synthesized N-doped titania shifted into the visible light region compared with commercial titania P25. All synthesized N-doped titania have higher photocatalytic activity than P25 under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of N-doped titania synthesized under supercritical water condition was the highest for the degradation of methyl orange under visible light due to the larger crystallite size compared with the N-doped titania synthesized under subcritical water condition. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.