Abstract:B/N co-doping is an effective way to narrow the band gap of TiO 2 to enhance the photocatalytic activity. However, traditional doping method using ammonia as N source is still unsatisfactory because of its safety risks and high cost. In this work, a benign and cost-effective method has been developed to prepare the B/N co-doped TiO 2 . First, we use TiB 2 as the raw material to prepare B-doped TiO 2 via a hydrothermal method followed by heat treatment. Then the B/N co-doped TiO 2 can be simply produced by annealing the mixture of the as-prepared B-doped TiO 2 and urea.X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that the samples present anatase structure and spherical morphology. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicates that B and N atoms exist not only on the surface but also in the bulk. Moreover, the content of N atoms decreases with the depth in the sample while Ti 3+ content gradually increases with the depth. UV-vis absorption spectrum shows an extension of light absorption into the full visible region.More importantly, the B/N co-doped TiO 2 exhibits promoted photocatalytic activity under both UV and visible light than the B-doped TiO 2 .
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