Synergetic effect of N3-, In3+ and Sn4+ ions in TiO2 towards efficient visible photocatalysis

Nitrogen, indium and tin doped TiO2 photocatalyst (TiO2-N-In-Sn) was prepared by sol-gel method. It is revealed that Sn ions were doped into TiO2 lattice in substitutional mode, forming a new doped energy level 0.2 eV below the conduction band of TiO2; nitrogen and indium ions are presented as surface NOx and O-In-Clx, located at 0.3 eV above the valence band and 0.3 eV below the conduction band, respectively. Owing to the synergetic effect of introduced nitrogen, indium and tin, the band structure of TiO2 is adjusted to extend the visible absorption and promote the separation of charge carriers, resulting in an improved photocatalytic activity on photo-degradation of 4-CP under visible irradiation. (c) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.