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. 2022 May 5;12(9):1564.
doi: 10.3390/nano12091564.

N-Rich Doped Anatase TiO2 with Smart Defect Engineering as Efficient Photocatalysts for Acetaldehyde Degradation

Mingzhuo Wei  1 , Zhijun Li  1 , Peijiao Chen  1 , Lei Sun  1 , Shilin Kang  1 , Tianwei Dou  1 , Yang Qu  1 , Liqiang Jing  1
Affiliations

N-Rich Doped Anatase TiO2 with Smart Defect Engineering as Efficient Photocatalysts for Acetaldehyde Degradation

Mingzhuo Wei et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) doping is an effective strategy for improving the solar-driven photocatalytic performance of anatase TiO2, but controllable methods for nitrogen-rich doping and associated defect engineering are highly desired. In this work, N-rich doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (4.2 at%) were successfully prepared via high-temperature nitridation based on thermally stable H3PO4-modified TiO2. Subsequently, the associated deep-energy-level defects such as oxygen vacancies and Ti3+ were successfully healed by smart photo-Fenton oxidation treatment. Under visible-light irradiation, the healed N-doped TiO2 exhibited a ~2-times higher activity of gas-phase acetaldehyde degradation than the non-treated one and even better than standard P25 TiO2 under UV-visible-light irradiation. The exceptional performance is attributed to the extended spectral response range from N-rich doping, the enhanced charge separation from hole capturing by N-doped species, and the healed defect levels with the proper thermodynamic ability for facilitating O2 reduction, depending on the results of ∙O2- radicals and defect measurement by electron spin resonance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atmosphere-controlled surface photovoltage spectra, etc. This work provides an easy and efficient strategy for the preparation of high-performance solar-driven TiO2 photocatalysts.

Keywords: N-rich doping; anatase TiO2; charge separation; defect healing; photocatalytic acetaldehyde degradation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) XRD patterns of NTO-500 and NPTO-T (T: temperature of nitridation). (b) TEM and HR-TEM images of NPTO-650. (c) DRS of PTO, NTO-500, and NPTO-T. XPS for N 1s (d) and Ti 2p (e) of NTO-500 and NPTO-T. (f) ESR spectra of NTO-500 and NPTO-T.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Photocatalytic activities of NTO-500 and NPTO-T for acetaldehyde degradation under visible-light irradiation for 1 h. (b) Photocatalytic cycling tests of NPTO-600 under visible-light irradiation. DMPO spin-trapping ESR spectra of produced superoxide radicals (c) and hydroxyl radicals (d) over NTO-500 and NPTO-T samples under visible-light irradiation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) DRS, (b) ESR spectra, and (c) Ti 2p XPS of NPTO-650, RO2-NPTO-650, and RL-H2O2-NPTO-650. (d) DMPO spin-trapping ESR spectra of hydroxyl radicals over different samples under dark (D-) or visible light (L-).
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) AC-SPS responses of RL-H2O2-NPTO-650 in different atmospheres. (b) DMPO spin-trapping ESR of superoxide radicals under visible-light irradiation of NPTO-650, RO2-NPTO-650, and RL-H2O2-NPTO-650. (c) Photocatalytic acetaldehyde degradation performance of NPTO-650, RO2-NPTO-650, and RL-H2O2-NPTO-650 under visible light. (d) Photocatalytic acetaldehyde degradation performance under LED light with different single wavelengths and UV-Vis absorption spectra of RL-H2O2-NPTO-650 and NPTO-650.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Mechanism of defect-engineering-related charge separation and photocatalytic reaction process on RL-H2O2-NPTO-650.
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