@article {Hu:2011:1533-4880:3434,
title = "Effects of N Precursor on the Agglomeration and Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of N-Doped TiO2 Nanocrystalline Powder",
journal = "Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology",
parent_itemid = "infobike://asp/jnn",
publishercode ="asp",
year = "2011",
volume = "11",
number = "4",
publication date ="2011-04-01T00:00:00",
pages = "3434-3444",
itemtype = "ARTICLE",
issn = "1533-4880",
eissn = "1533-4899",
url = "https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asp/jnn/2011/00000011/00000004/art00092",
doi = "doi:10.1166/jnn.2011.3746",
keyword = "VISIBLE LIGHT PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY, N-DOPED TIO2, SOL-GEL METHOD, N PRECURSOR, ALKALINITY",
author = "Hu, Yulong and Liu, Hongfang and Rao, Qiuhua and Kong, Xiaodong and Sun, Wei and Guo, Xingpeng",
abstract = "N-doped TiO2 nanocrystalline powders were prepared by the solgel method using various N precursors, including triethylamine, hydrazine hydrate, ethylenediamine, ammonium hydroxide, and urea. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of as-prepared samples under irradiation of visible light ( > 405 nm) were evaluated by photodecomposition of methyl orange. The alkalinity of N precursor was found to play a key role in the gel process. The N precursor with moderate alkalinity causes TiO2 nanoparticles to be sol-transformed into a loosely agglomerated gel. This transformation facilitates the preparation of an N-doped TiO2 powder with small nanocrystal size, large specific surface area, and high N doping level and results in high visible light photocatalytic activity. The N in TiO2 with N 1s binding energy at 399400 eV may be assigned to the N-H species located in interstitial sites of TiO2 lattice which is the active N species responsible for the visible light photocatalytic activity. The N species of N 1s peak at 402 and 405 eV are ineffective to the visible light photocatalytic activity and may inhibit the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, a TiO2 nanoparticle powder with large specific area can be achieved by using urea as a template and then by using ammonium hydroxide to transform the sol into gel.",
}