Visible light responsive TiO2 modification with nonmetal elements

Abstract

Developing visible light responsive (VLR) TiO2 photocatalysts is essential and attractive for the consideration of solar energy utilization. A large amount of work have shown TiO2 modified with several nonmetal elements having VLR performance, although according to DFT calculation, Asahi denied the VLR properties of fluorine, carbon, etc. in doping TiO2. Therefore, the origins of VLR activity desire further delicate discussion. In this mini-review, several strategies for VLR TiO2 modification have been introduced, including N doping or B/N codoping, surface modification with sensitizing matter such as carbonaceous or other organic substances, surface alkoxyls modification via a ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) process, and enhanced dye sensitization by fluorine modification. Besides doping, there are much more approaches to fabricate VLR TiO2 modified with nonmetal elements. However, it is still in demand to explore new methods to obtain more stable and efficient VLR TiO2 for practical application.