Amorphous TiO2 doped with carbon for visible light photodegradation of rhodamine B and 4-chlorophenol

Abstract

Visible light photocatalytic activity of amorphous TiO2 doped with carbon is prepared by a facile sol-gel route for the first time. The most active sample with mesostructure of amorphous phase, high surface area (273m2g−1) and large pore volume (0.33cm3g−1) is identified by X-ray diffractometer, Raman spectrometer, transmission electron microscope and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. In addition, the most active sample is characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrometer and luminescence spectrometer. The results show that the most active sample with oxygenic groups has a narrower bandgap and lower recombination of electron–hole, due to the carbon doping and phase of amorphous. Effective photodegradation capability and stability of rhodamine B and colorless 4-chlorophenol are verified by photocatalytic tests under visible light irradiation. A possible mechanism of amorphous TiO2 doped with carbon for visible light photocatalysis is proposed. The findings of this paper will provide new insights to design visible light-induced photocatalyst based on amorphous TiO2 for organic removal.