TY - JOUR
T1 - A simple preparation method and characterization of B and N co-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance
AU - Georgieva, J.
AU - Valova, E.
AU - Armyanov, S.
AU - Tatchev, D.
AU - Sotiropoulos, S.
AU - Avramova, I.
AU - Dimitrova, N.
AU - Hubin, A.
AU - Steenhaut, O.
PY - 2017/8/15
Y1 - 2017/8/15
N2 - Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTA) have attracted much attention due to the excellent photocatalytic, optical and electrical properties. However, their absorption range is limited to ultraviolet (UV) spectrum only due to the wide band gap (3.2 eV). One of the strategies to overcome this problem is doping with boron and nitrogen. They are produced via titanium sheet anodization and subsequent electrochemical treatment of titania in an electrolyte containing boric acid. The as-prepared B-TNTA are annealed in N2 atmosphere at 500 °C for 2 h to obtain B,N-TNTA. The samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The B,N-TNTA consist of uniform and well aligned nanotubes with an average inner diameter of 80–100 nm and a length not exceeding 1 μm. The photocurrent response measurements of undoped TNTA, N-doped and B,N-co-doped samples are performed under UV and visible light (Vis) illumination and a comparison is made. The obtained results show that the B,N-doping leads to remarkable photocurrent enhancement and better photocatalytic activity for methyl orange (MO) degradation due to the synergistic effects of B,N-co-doping and lower electron-hole recombination rates.
AB - Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTA) have attracted much attention due to the excellent photocatalytic, optical and electrical properties. However, their absorption range is limited to ultraviolet (UV) spectrum only due to the wide band gap (3.2 eV). One of the strategies to overcome this problem is doping with boron and nitrogen. They are produced via titanium sheet anodization and subsequent electrochemical treatment of titania in an electrolyte containing boric acid. The as-prepared B-TNTA are annealed in N2 atmosphere at 500 °C for 2 h to obtain B,N-TNTA. The samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The B,N-TNTA consist of uniform and well aligned nanotubes with an average inner diameter of 80–100 nm and a length not exceeding 1 μm. The photocurrent response measurements of undoped TNTA, N-doped and B,N-co-doped samples are performed under UV and visible light (Vis) illumination and a comparison is made. The obtained results show that the B,N-doping leads to remarkable photocurrent enhancement and better photocatalytic activity for methyl orange (MO) degradation due to the synergistic effects of B,N-co-doping and lower electron-hole recombination rates.
KW - B,N-co-doped TNTA
KW - Photoelectrocatalysis
KW - Photoelectrochemical property
KW - Ti anodization
KW - TiO nanotube arrays (TNTA)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85017472588&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.04.055
DO - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.04.055
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85017472588
SN - 0169-4332
VL - 413
SP - 284
EP - 291
JO - Applied Surface Science
JF - Applied Surface Science
ER -