Synergistic effect of V/N codoping by ion implantation on the electronic and optical properties of TiO{sub 2}

Journal Article · Mon Apr 14 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4871192· OSTI ID:22273604

Xu, Jinxia ^[1]; Chen, Chi; Miao, Ling ^[2]; Xiao, Xiangheng; Liao, Lei; Wu, Wei; Cai, Guangxu; Liu, Yong; Dai, Zhigao; Ren, Feng; Jiang, Changzhong ^[1]; Mei, Fei ^[3]; Stepanov, Andrey L. ^[4]; Liu, Jiarui ^[5]

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1. Department of Physics and Center for Ion Beam Application, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China)
2. School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)
3. School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068 (China)
4. Kazan Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan 420029 (Russian Federation)
5. Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Road, Houston, Texas 77004 (United States)

Performance of the material depends directly on the electronic and energy band structure, to improve the photoactivity of TiO{sub 2} and decrease carrier recombination centers induced by monodoping, the TiO{sub 2} thin film has been modified with V and N codopants by ion implantation for tailing and controlling the electronic structure and energy band structure. Compared to monodopant, codopants of V and N exhibit a synergistic effect in the photoactivity enhancement of TiO{sub 2}. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies demonstrate that the implanted V and N ions are introduced into the lattice of TiO{sub 2} through V and N substituting Ti and O, respectively. The electronic structure of V/N codoped TiO{sub 2} was calculated by First-principles calculations based on density-functional theory, the results show the band edges of TiO{sub 2} can be tailored by V and N codopants. UV-vis spectra consistently show the absorption edge of V/N codoped TiO{sub 2} film is widen to visible light region. More importantly, the photoactivity of TiO{sub 2} film has been significantly improved after V/N codoping. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is believed to be due to the V and N codopants induced synergistic effect that not only enhances the absorption of visible light but also promotes the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes in TiO{sub 2}. Besides, there exists an optimum for V/N ions implantation fluence. The capability of improving TiO{sub 2} photoactivity by V/N codoping could open up new opportunities in the development of highly efficient photocatalysts and photoelectrodes for solar energy and environmental applications.

• OSTI ID: 22273604
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 14; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CHARGE CARRIERS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DENSITY FUNCTIONAL METHOD
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
HOLES
ION IMPLANTATION
NITROGEN IONS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHOTOCATALYSIS
RECOMBINATION
THIN FILMS
TITANIUM OXIDES
ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA
VANADIUM IONS
VISIBLE RADIATION
VISIBLE SPECTRA
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY