Abstract Titanium dioxide is an important metal-oxide semiconductor for photocatalytic applications owing to its unique properties, such as photostability, abundance, low cost, and nontoxicity. However, the photocatalytic activity of TiO… Click to show full abstract
Abstract Titanium dioxide is an important metal-oxide semiconductor for photocatalytic applications owing to its unique properties, such as photostability, abundance, low cost, and nontoxicity. However, the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 is limited due to its absorption only in the ultraviolet (UV) region of incident light. In this study, we synthesized iodine-doped TiO 2 (I-TiO 2 ) with extended light absorption and exploited its photocatalytic properties for the degradation of methylene-blue (MB) dye. The synthesized I-TiO 2 was characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and spectroscopic techniques. UV–visible measurements confirmed that the iodine doping led to a slight increase in the absorbance range of the TiO 2 by decreasing its bandgap. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed new peaks corresponding to Ti 3+ and Ti 2+ , in addition to Ti 4+ peaks. Photoluminescence analysis indicated that the I-TiO 2 can efficiently separate the charge carriers, yielding high photocatalytic activity. Compared with bare TiO 2 , the I-TiO 2 exhibited increased activity for the photo-degradation of MB.
               
Click one of the above tabs to view related content.