Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity of N-doped NaTaO 3 nanocubes

Abstract

The N-doped NaTaO 3 catalysts with cubic morphology had been successfully synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method, using Ta 2O 5 and NH 3·H 2O as the raw materials for the first time. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The results showed that the synthesis parameters such as reaction temperature and reaction time played important roles in the formation of N-doped NaTaO 3 nanocubes. As observed by SEM images, when the reaction time reached 12 h, most of the products exhibited the square morphology with the size of 200–500 nm, which can be easily removed by filtration after photocatalytic reaction. The photocatalytic activity of N-doped NaTaO 3 was tested by Methylene Blue degradation process under ultraviolet and visible light irradiation, respectively. The results showed that both under the ultraviolet and visible light irradiation, N-doped NaTaO 3 displayed much higher photocatalytic activity than that of pure NaTaO 3. In addition, NaTaO 3-xN x composites exhibited excellent stability in the visible-light photocatalytic process.