Effects of V and Zn codoping on the microstructures and photocatalytic activities of nanocrystalline TiO_2 films

摘要

To enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO_2, V and Zn co-doped TiO_2 films were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The experimental results indicated that the films were composed of round-like nano-particles or aggregates. V and Zn codoping could not only obviously increase the specific surface area of TiO_2 but also result in the narrowed band gap of TiO_2 sample. The photocatalytic activities of the TiO_2 films were evaluated by the photocatalytic decomposition of organic dyes in aqueous solution. Compared with un-doped TiO_2 film or single doped TiO_2 film, V and Zn co-doped TiO_2 film exhibited excellent photocatalytic activities under both UV light and visible light. The improvement mechanism by V and Zn codoping was also discussed.