Abstract
Hollow Fe-doped TiO2 spheres with various Fe dopant concentrations, 0.25, 0.50 and 1.0 wt%, were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using carbon spheres as templates. The prepared samples were calcined in air at temperatures of 500 and 550 °C for 3 h and characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, SAED, EDX, XPS and UV–vis spectroscopy. The analytical results showed that the presence of a very low concentration of Fe3+ incorporated into hollow nanoporous TiO2 spheres inhibited the growth of nanocrystals as well as the anatase to rutile phase transformation inside the anatase TiO2 lattice. Doping with 1.0 wt% Fe3+ resulted in a reduction of the TiO2 sphere diameter from 205.71 ± 25.29 nm to 68.70 ± 7.07 nm. The optical energy gap of the samples was determined from UV–Vis absorption spectra. The results showed that the absorption edge of TiO2@Fe was shifted toward the visible light region with increased Fe content.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
