Nd-doped TiO2-C hybrid aerogels and their photocatalytic properties

Publication date: April 2018 Source:New Carbon Materials, Volume 33, Issue 2 Author(s): Xia Shao, Feng Pan, Li Zheng, Rui Zhang, Wen-ya Zhang Nd-doped TiO2-C hybrid aerogels with different Nd doping levels were prepared by a combined sol-gel and impregnation method. The microstructure, morphology and photocatalytic activities of the samples were investigated by XRD, SEM, FTIR, XPS, nitrogen adsorption and the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV irradiation. Results showed that the samples are composed of irregular-shaped nanoparticles and the Nd dopant inhibits their growth. The TiO2 in the samples is anatase, the carbon is amorphous and Nd3+ is in a Ti-O-Nd bond form. The samples had strong absorption in the ultraviolet region and exhibited good degradation activity for MB in aqueous solutions under UV light. The best activity was achieved when the ratio of Nd to Ti is 3–4 wt%, in which case MB was completely degraded under UV irradiation for 160 min.

Source: New Carbon Materials - May 25, 2018 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research