Preparation and nitrogen-doping of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous TiO2 with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous titanium dioxide (3DOM TiO2) was synthesized through a colloidal crystal template method using self-made poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres as a hard template. Nitrogen-doped 3DOM TiO2 (N-3DOM TiO2) samples were also prepared by an impregnation method. The samples were characterized by techniques such as SEM, EDX, XRD, TGA, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of these catalysts were tested by degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV-visible light and visible light respectively. The experimental results show that the 3DOM TiO2 and N-3DOM TiO2 exhibited improved optical absorption and subsequently enhanced photodegradation efficiency of MO compared to TiO2 particles. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.