In situ synthesis of mesoporous C-doped TiO2 single crystal with oxygen vacancy and its enhanced sunlight photocatalytic properties

Abstract

Mesoporous C-doped TiO2 single crystals with oxygen vacancy (VO-MC TiO2) have been prepared through a facile in-situ modified sol-gel synthesis. The oxygen vacancy of C-doped TiO2 is controlled by the limited-oxygen atmosphere originates from the decomposition of urea. The as-prepared VO-MC TiO2 shows a well-defined cubic morphology with average grain size of 22 nm. The N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms further informs the presence of fissure form mesoporous structure. The VO-MC TiO2 catalyzes the degradation of Rhodamine B with 97.3% removal efficiency in 9 min under UV light. And it can degrade the RhB completely under natural sunlight irradiation within 60 min. The excellent photocatalytic performance is attributed to the unique microstructure of VO-MC TiO2. C-doping together with oxygen vacancy in TiO2 lattice leads to high separation efficiency of photogenerated charges. Moreover, the mesoporous surface enhances the visible light absorption and dye adsorption, resulting in the high visible light activity.