In-situ Ti3+/S doped high thermostable anatase TiO2 nanorods as efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts

• DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2018.08.051
• Publication Date: 2018-08-21T23:47:34Z
• Authors: Meng Li; Zipeng Xing; Jiaojiao Jiang; Zhenzi Li; Junyan Kuang; Junwei Yin; Ning Wan; Qi Zhu; Wei Zhou
• Keywords: Nanorod; Visible spectrum; Methyl orange

Abstract In-situ Ti3+/S doped high thermostable anatase TiO2 nanorods using ethanediamine-modified TiOSO4 as precursor are synthesized under 700 °C calcination, then combined with controllable in-situ solid-phase reaction method, calcined at 350 °C in argon. The outcomes declare that the obtained photocatalyst with a high crystallinity is effectively doped with S element and Ti3+ species, and synchronously possesses one-dimensional (1D) anatase nanorods structure with length of ∼ 2–5 μm and width of ∼0.5–1 μm. The S and Ti3+ co-doped 1D nanorod with a narrowed bandgap (2.56 eV) stretches the optical response range to visible-light. The visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methyl orange and H2 production rate for Ti3+/S-TiO2 nanorods are as high as 96% and 166 μmol h−1 g−1, showing about 6 times greater than 600-TR (TiO2 nanorods). This is be ascribed to the synergistic reaction of S and Ti3+ species co-doping narrows the bandgap and promotes the separation efficiency of photoexcited carriers, and the one-dimensional structure favors the transportation of photogenerated charge carriers. Hence, the prepared photocatalyst will have a great latent application prospect in fields of energy and environment.