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Incorporating dopants into the TiO 2 single crystals lattice is a big challenge because single crystal has a high crystallinity and the nucleation and growth of TiO 2 single crystals is readily subjected to the interference of the dose of dopant precursors. Here, we propose an in situ synthetic strategy for the construct of carbon-doped TiO 2 single crystal nanorods using CPS/TiO 2 as the precursors of TiO 2 nanorods and carbon source via a facile hydrothermal route. This technique involves the preparation of cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS), sequential deposition of TiO 2 precursor, hydrothermal reaction, and the pyrolysis of CPS in a N 2 atmosphere at 450 °C. The morphology and structure of as-prepared C-TiO 2 single crystal nanorods were characterized by TEM, SEM, STEM Mapping, XRD, UV–vis spectroscopy, and XPS. All results confirm the carbon doping in the as-prepared TiO 2 single crystal nanorods. As a result of unique microstructure, the resulting TiO 2 exhibits remarkably visible-light photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of organic pollutants including methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB) and p -nitrophenol (PNP). Therefore, the current study provides a new insight for incorporating dopants into the TiO 2 single crystals lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistent efforts have been paid to shift the ultraviolet of titania to visible-light-driven photocatalysis. In this work, we explored a facile, cost-effective method to in situ create C-doped hollow TiO 2 spheres. This method involved the preparation of monodisperse cationic polystyrene spheres (CPS), sequential deposition of TiO 2 precursor via template-directed self-assembly, and the removal of CPS template by calcination at 450 °C. The structure and properties of hollow TiO 2 catalysts were characterized by N 2 desorption–adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results confirmed the carbon doping in the as-prepared hollow TiO 2 lattice. When C-doped hollow TiO 2 spheres were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible-light irradiation, the as-synthesized hollow anatase exhibited a superior photocatalytic activity than the commercial P25 and many TiO 2 -based photocatalysts reported in literature, significantly broadening its potential for many practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]