Synthesis and characterisation of Gd3+-doped mesoporous TiO2 materials

Using multi-walled carbon nano-tubes (MWNTs) as the template, Gd3+-doped mesoporous TiO2 (M-TiO2) material was prepared by the homogeneous precipitation-assisted template method. The as-prepared photo-catalysts were characterised using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) diffuse-reflection spectroscopy analyses. The photo-catalytic properties of Gd3+-doped M-TiO2 were primarily investigated by the photo-degradation of methyl orange under Xe-lamp irradiation and compared with those of pure M-TiO2 and the commercial photo-catalyst Degussa P25. The results showed that the as-synthesised samples were of anatase crystalline phase and had red shifts in their UV–vis patterns with different Gd3+-doping concentrations. Gd3+-adding at 0.12 mol% could significantly enhance the photo-catalytic properties of the M-TiO2 material and the rate of photo-degradation of methyl orange reached 97.3% under Xe-lamp irradiation for 150 min.