A facile approach to synthesize N and B co-doped TiO2 nanomaterials with superior visible-light response

Abstract N and B co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by a facile one-step combustion reaction where Ti(OC4H9)4 and H3BO3 were used as the precursors and urea served as the fuel and the N source. The formation of TiO2 nanoparticles and the co-doping of N and B into the TiO2 matrix lattices were achieved simultaneously. Our experimental results have shown that the optical absorption edges of the N and B co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles significantly shift toward long wavelength compared to that of non-doped TiO2 photocatalysts. The estimated optical bandgap of the N&B co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles is 2.13 eV, which is much smaller than that of pure anatase TiO2 (3.18 eV). We further studied the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized N&B co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles through the decomposition of acetic acid, showing that the N&B co-doped TiO2 exhibits superb photocatalytic activity and visible light response compared to one of the best commercially available TiO2 photocatalysts, P25.