Synthesis of N-doped titanium oxide by hydrothermal treatment

N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles have been prepared by continuous or batch treatment of the colloidal TiO2 nanoparticles under hydrothermal conditions with formamide, nitric acid, ammonia or triethylamine. The optical absorption tail of the obtained photocatalysts near the band gap extended to the visible region around λ = 500 nm. The efficiency of nitrogen doping was strongly dependent on the kind of nitrogen compounds, treatment method as well as treatment temperature. The most effective N-doping could be accomplished by the batch treatment with a small amount of triethylamine, which showed the efficient photocatalytic activity for both the reduction of Ag+ ions and the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation.