New synthesis of excellent visible-light TiO2−xNx photocatalyst using a very simple method

An excellent visible-light-responsive (from 400 to 550 nm) TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} photocatalyst was prepared by a simple wet method. Hydrazine was used as a new nitrogen resource in this paper. Self-made amorphous titanium dioxide precursor powders were dipped into hydrazine hydrate, and calcined at low temperature (110 deg. C) in the air. The TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} was successfully synthesized, following by spontaneous combustion. The photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrometer (DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Analysis of XPS indicated that N atoms were incorporated into the lattice of the titania crystal during the combustion of hydrazine on the surface of TiO{sub 2}. Ethylene was selected as a target pollutant under visible-light excitation to evaluate the activity of this photocatalyst. The newly prepared TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} photocatalyst with strong photocatalytic activity and high photochemical stability under visible-light irradiation was firstly demonstrated in the experiment. - Graphical abstract: The excellent visible-light-responsive (from 400 to 550 nm) TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} photocatalyst was prepared by a simple wet method. Hydrazine was used as a new nitrogen resource in this paper. In the experiment, a strong photocatalytic activity with high photochemical stability undermore » visible-light irradiation was demonstrated.« less