Abstract
Doped and undoped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by Stöber method and thermally treated at 600 °C. The effect of Nd3+ ion on the structure and microstructure of anatase-phase TiO2 nanocrystals was studied by Rietveld refinement method using X-ray powder diffraction data. Bond lengths, bond angles, and edges distances were analyzed. The phase formation was confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The adjustment of Ti-O bond length induced by the addition of Nd3+ ions, reduced the octahedral distortion and altered the octahedral array in the anatase-phase TiO2 nanocrystal. The changes of structure and microstructure were mainly observed for TiO2 nanoparticles doped with 0.1 at.% of Nd3+ ions and attributed to the cationic substitution of Ti4+ ions which promoted changes in the density of states and gap band of TiO2. The dopant insertion resulted in a better structural stability of the nanocrystals that enhanced their charge transference and photocatalytic efficiency.
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