Photocatalytic performance of S doped TiO2 in relation to processing conditions: calcination temperature and heating rate

Abstract

The effect of different heating profiles on the photocatalytic performance of sulphur doped TiO2 photocatalysts is reported. The photocatalysts were synthesised by a sol–gel method using thiourea as the dopant precursor and characterised using X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis and reflection measurements. The degradation of dichloroacetic acid, under indirect sunlight and visible light irradiation, was used to determine the photocatalytic performance of the synthesised materials. A number of different commercial photocatalysts were used as comparative standards. In all the studied specimens, anatase TiO2 was the dominant crystalline type. Additionally, compared with undoped TiO2 and commercial standards, significant absorption into the visible region (400–470 nm) was observed for the modified TiO2.