Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of Nano‐TiO2 Codoped with Iron III and Lanthanum III

Abstract

Nanoscale titanium dioxide (nano‐TiO2) was modified via metal doping to improve its photocatalytic activity and utilization of visible light. Nano‐TiO2 doped with iron III (Fe3+) only, lanthanum III (La3+) only, and both Fe3+/La3+ was prepared using the sol‐gel method. The photocatalytic activities of the three forms of doped nano‐TiO2 were evaluated. Metal codoping limited crystal growth of crystal, and the sol‐gel method was shown to be an effective technique for doping the lattice of TiO2 with Fe3+ and La3+. Codoping of nano‐TiO2 with the tombarthite metal mixture had a synergistic effect of the photocatalytic performance, with the codoped nano‐TiO2 exhibiting a performance greater than the sum of those of the single‐doped nano‐TiO2 samples. Kinetic studies showed that the photodegradation reaction of methyl orange by nano‐TiO2 follows the Langmuir‐Hinshelwood first order mechanism.