Effects of Ag/Cu metal co-doping on the structural properties of nanocrystalline TiO2

TiO₂ nanopowders, single and double doped with Ag and Cu, were prepared using the sol-gel method, with titanium isopropoxide as the precursor. The synthesised samples were calcinedat various temperatures and characterised by XRD, Raman and SEM techniques. The results suggests that the co-doped TiO₂ powders are constituted by anatase and brookite phases while in the case of pure and singly doped samples only anatase is observed. The co-existence of brookite with anatase in the co-doped sample is thought to be responsible for the enhancement of anatase to rutile transformation.