Fabrication of the CN co-doped rod-like TiO2 photocatalyst with visible-light responsive photocatalytic activity

Abstract The C N co-doped TiO 2 nanorods were synthesized by the vapor transport method of water molecules, and urea was used as the carbon and nitrogen source. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The scanning electron microscope images showed that as-prepared TiO 2 powders were nanorods, which were formed by the stacking of nanoparticles with a uniform size around 40 nm. The degradation of methylene blue with the prepared nanorods demonstrated the photocatalytic activities of TiO 2 under visible light are improved by doping with C and N elements. The main reasons were discussed: doping with C and N elements could enhance the corresponding visible-light absorption of TiO 2 . On the other hand, doping C and N could create more oxygen vacancies in the TiO 2 crystals, which could capture the photogenerated electrons more effectively. Thus, more photogenerated holes could be left to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 .