Solar Light Active Photodegradation of Phenol over a FexTi1-xO2-yNy Nanophotocatalyst

Abstract

This article details the preparation, characterization, and catalytic activity evaluation of an efficient mesoporous FexTi1-xO2-yNy nanophotocatalyst (FeNT) for the degradation of phenol under direct solar light illumination. For fabrication of the FeNT, Fe doped TiO2 (FeT) was first prepared by a nonhydrolytic sol gel route and N doping was subsequently performed by heating the resultant materials under a flow of NH3. The samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM, UV-vis DRS, FTIR, PL, and XPS to investigate the structural, electronic and optical features. FeNT samples exhibit about 1.5 fold higher direct solar light induced photocatalytic activity than the FeT catalyst and N doped TiO2 (NT). A noticeable red shift of the absorption edge and ca. 1.2 eV band gap narrowing is confirmed by UV-vis DRS. XPS has been applied to characterize the element oxidation state and near surface composition of catalysts. The presence of Fe ion facilitates the surface charge transfer process. Overall, the synergistic effect of iron and nitrogen greatly enhances the photocatalytic activity.