Preparation and characterization of boron-doped titania nano-materials with antibacterial activity

Boron-doped TiO2 (B/TiO2) nano-materials were synthesized by a sol–gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). With the test of bacterial inhibition zone, the antibacterial properties of B/TiO2 nano-materials on Escherichia coli were investigated. The results show that the structure of TiO2 could be transformed from amorphous to anatase and then to rutile by increasing calcination temperature; part of the boron atoms probably have been weaved into the interstitial TiO2 structure or incorporated into the TiO2 lattice through occupying O sites, whereas others exist as B2O3. The results of antibacterial experiment under visible light irradiation show that the B/TiO2 nano-materials exhibit enhanced antibacterial efficiency compared with non-doped TiO2. Ultimately, the action mechanism of B/TiO2 doping is discussed.