Photocatalytic Activity of TiO₂ Nanofibers with Doped La Prepared by Electrospinning Method

Abstract

Abstract La‐TiO 2 nanofibers are prepared by a sol‐gel assisted electrospinning method. The structure and morphology of La‐TiO 2 nanofibers are characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD analysis shows that the weight percentage of anatase and rutile in the 1.5 mol% La‐TiO 2 nanofibers calcined at 600 °C is about 8:2, which is similar to P‐25. The XRD data of La‐TiO 2 nanofibers with different La content shows that La 3+ dopant has a great inhibition on TiO 2 phase transformation. The photocatalytic activity of the as‐prepared La‐TiO 2 nanofibers is evaluated by photocatalytic decolorization of Methylene Blue (MB) aqueous solution. The results show that the 1.5 mol% La‐TiO 2 nanofibers calcined at 600 °C exhibit high photocatalytic activity, indicating that 600 °C and 1.5 mol% are the appropriate calcination temperature and optimal molar ratio of La to Ti, respectively.