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Li‐doped nanosized TiO 2 powder with enhanced photocalatylic acivity under sunlight irradiation
Author(s) -
Bouattour Soraa,
Kallel Wannes,
Botelho do Rego Ana Maria,
Vieira Ferreira L.F.,
Machado I. Ferreira,
Boufi Sami
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
applied organometallic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1099-0739
pISSN - 0268-2605
DOI - 10.1002/aoc.1668
Subject(s) - anatase , photocatalysis , calcination , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , chemistry , aqueous solution , sintering , sol gel , doping , rutile , diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform , nanoparticle , absorption spectroscopy , chemical engineering , inorganic chemistry , materials science , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , catalysis , optics , physics , optoelectronics , engineering
This work reports on the synthesis of Li‐doped TiO 2 nanoparticles using the sol–gel process and solid‐state sintering, and investigates their potential use as a photocatalyst for degradation under sunlight excitation of different organic model compounds in aqueous solution. The structure of the nanocrystals was examined by X‐ray diffraction, UV‐vis ground state diffuse reflectance absorption spectra and X‐ray photoelectron emission spectroscopy. Results showed that samples prepared by sol–gel process and calcined at 400 °C are composed of a mixture of anatase and rutile phases, in contrast to the one prepared by solid‐state sintering, which exhibits an anatase phase with Li being involved in a spinel phase. The photocatalytic degradation of aqueous solutions of different aromatic compounds was successfully achieved under sunlight excitation in presence of Li‐doped TiO 2 prepared via sol–gel process. It was shown that the calcination temperature and the preparation mode greatly affect the photocatalytic efficiency. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.