Synthesis, characterization and performance of ternary doped Cu-Ce-B/TiO2 nanotubes on the photocatalytic removal of nitrogen oxides

A series of single doped, co-doped and tri-doped TiO2 nanotubes with Cu, Ce and B has been successfully prepared by a hydrothermal method assisted by cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The photoelectro-chemical properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis absorbance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The doped TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) with different amounts of Cu, Ce and B were evaluated by the removal of nitride oxide under the irradiation of a UV lamp to optimize the best doping concentration. The results show that the Cu, Ce and B tri-doped TNTs exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity, which should be ascribed to the synergetic effect of narrowing the band-gap of TiO2, which greatly inhibits the recombination of electrons and holes. A possible mechanism of photocatalytic reaction was also proposed.