Preparation and properties of vanadium-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts

Abstract

The vanadium-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles were prepared by a sol–gel method with Ti(OBu) 4 as a precursor. The powders were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TEM, XPS and UV–Vis absorption spectrum. The photocatalytic activity of the powders for methyl orange degradation was investigated under a fluorescent lamp. The results show that the doping V presents mainly in the form of V 5+ , and vanadium doping can restrain the crystal growth and promote the phase transfer from anatase to rutile. Vanadium doping can widen the light absorption range of TiO 2 , and the absorption threshold wavelength is red shifted from 380 nm to about 650 nm. As a result, the photocatalytic activity of the V–TiO 2 nanoparticles is higher than that of P25 under the fluorescent lamp.