Abstract :
Carbon-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel auto-combustion method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD),
X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET), UV–vis diffuses reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). UV–vis
diffuse reflectance spectra showed that carbon-doped TiO2 exhibited obvious absorption in the visible light range. The visible light photocatalytic
activity of carbon-doped TiO2 was ascribed to the presence of oxygen vacancy state between the valence and the conduction
bands because of the formation of Ti3+ species in the as-synthesized carbon-doped TiO2. The sample calcined at 873 K showed the highest
photocatalytic activity under solar irradiation. The effects of photocatalyst concentration, initial concentration of methylene blue, and
pH value in aqueous solution were also presented.
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