Low-temperature preparation of Boron-doped titania by hydrothermal method and its photocatalytic activity

Abstract: A visible light active photocatalyst was prepared through boron-doping by using sodium borohydride as boron source. Different from the previous boron-doped titania prepared at high temperature, our preparation was carried out at 55°C under hydrothermal condition. The as-prepared boron-doped titania was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscope, diffuse reflection spectra and N2 adsorption–desorption measurements. The results showed that diboron trioxide phase appeared in the X-ray diffraction pattern of such photocatalyst. Compared to boron-doped titania synthesized by sol–gel method and pure TiO2, this novel photocatalyst exhibited stronger absorption in the visible region, and it also showed larger surface area. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated for degradation of Reactive Brilliant Red (C.I. Reactive Red 2) and 4-chlorophenol under visible light irradiation, respectively. The trend of photocatalytic activity was as follows: boron-doped titania (hydrothermal method)>boron-doped titania (sol–gel method)>pure titania>Degussa P25. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]