Role of carbon in titania as visible-light photocatalyst prepared by flat-flame chemical vapor condensation method

Journal Article · Wed Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.3081889· OSTI ID:22053509

Chen, Y J; Wu, J M; Lin, C S; Jhan, G Y; Wong, M S; Ke, S -C; Lo, H H ^[1]

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1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Dong Hwa University, Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan and Graduate Institute of Optoelectronics Engineering, National Dong Hwa University, Shoufeng, Hualien 97401, Taiwan (China)

In this article, the authors report that titania nanopowders synthesized by low-pressure flat-flame metal-organic chemical vapor condensation show visible-light photocatalytic ability. Using acetylene and oxygen as fuel and oxidizer for the flame, the titanium isopropoxide was decomposed and oxidized, and the nanoparticles of titania were formed. From the methylene blue decomposition study they found that the powder synthesized under low precursor feed rate possesses high photocatalytic efficiency under illumination of visible light. The visible-light absorption is resort to the presence of carbon since no other chemical elements were found associated with titania. The presence of carbon species is coincident with the presence of visible-light absorption and carbon is in the form of C-C bond. It also suggests that carbon species are associated with catalytic site on anatase surface so that carriers generated by photon absorption by the carbon species can transfer quickly onto catalytic sites and perform the subsequent catalytic reactions. A possibly unreported mechanism of visible-light TiO{sub 2} photocatalysis induced by carbon doping is identified.

• OSTI ID: 22053509
• Journal Information: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Journal Name: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 27; ISSN 1553-1813
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
ABSORPTION
ACETYLENE
CARBON
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL BONDS
FLAMES
METHYLENE BLUE
NANOSTRUCTURES
ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PARTICLES
PHOTOCATALYSIS
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
TITANIUM OXIDES
VAPOR CONDENSATION
VISIBLE RADIATION