Characterization and activity of visible-light-driven TiO2 photocatalyst codoped with lanthanum and iodine

The novel visible-light-activated La/I/TiO2 nanocomposition photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using precipitation-dipping method, and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS). The photocatalytic activity of La/I/TiO2 was evaluated by studying photodegradation of reactive blue 19 as a probe reaction under simulated sunlight irradiation. Photocatalytic experiment results showed that the maximum specific photocatalytic activity of the La/I/TiO2 photocatalyst appeared when the molar ratio of La/Ti was 2.0 at%, calcined at 350 °C for 2 h, due to the sample with good crystallization, high BET surface area and small crystal size. Under simulated sunlight irradiation, the degradation of reactive blue 19 aqueous solution reached 98.6% in 80 min, which showed La/I/TiO2 photocatalyst to be much higher photocatalytic activity compared to standard Degussa P25 photocatalyst. The higher visible light activity is due to the codoping of lanthanum and iodine.