Enhanced Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Activity by the Comprehensive Effects of Mesoporous and N‐Doping at the Meso‐N‐TiO₂ Nanocatalysts

Abstract

Meso-N-TiO 2 nanocatalysts (Nx-MT) were successfully synthesized through evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method by using urea as the nitrogen source and Pluronic F127 as the templating agent. Through a series of characterizations and degradation of rhodamine B under simulated sunlight, the roles of mesoporous and N-doping in the Nx-MT nanocatalyst were evaluated. The Nx-MT exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the comprehensive effect of mesopores and N-doping. The effects of calcination temperature and N concentration on the performance of the catalyst were studied. Besides, the relationship between the pore volume of Nx-MT and the catalytic reaction rate was clarified. Moreover, the turnover number (TON) was used to evaluate the effect of the amount of nitrogen doping on the catalytic activity per active site.