Synthesis and Visible-light Photocatalytic Performance of C-doped Nb2O5 with High Surface Area

C-doped Nb2O5 with abundant mesopores has been successfully synthesized through a facile solvothermal synthetic strategy followed by calcination treatment. The resulting C-doped Nb2O5 displayed the highest BET surface area(345 m(2)/g) and large mesopore size(ca. 4.2 nm), capable of offering more accessible active sites as well as faster mass transfer for catalysis. Besides, the doping of C(2.21%, molar fraction) at the O sites in Nb2O5 lattice greatly enhanced visible-light response by lowering the band gap, thereby making the material a photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation. Typically, the C-doped Nb2O5 exhibited a high H-2 evolution rate of ca. 39.10 mu mol.g(-1).h(-1) and also degraded RhB dye completely after 30 min of visible light exposure, which turned out to be much better than Degussa P25 and pure Nb2O5 catalysts.