Synthesis and Characterization of Nitrogen-doped SnO2 and Comparison to Nitrogen-doped CeO2 Nanoparticles for Visible-light Applications

Abstract

Nitrogen-doped SnO2 with varying amounts of nitrogen have been synthesized via a wet-chemical method and compared to CeO2 nanoparticles synthesized under similar conditions. Morphologies, N-doping level, and optical properties were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The N-doped nanoparticles showed enhanced visible-light absorption and photocatalytic activity compared to commercially available TiO2 nanoparticles (Degussa P25). This N-doping process can efficiently modify the physical and chemical properties of metal oxides, which in turn can provide scientists in the field with a promising approach to modify the electronic structure of metal oxides, and thus potentially extend the scope of applications.