Photocatalyst Preparation by Carbon Doping of Titanium Dioxide

  • Prof Antoni Morawski, Szczecin University of Technology, Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, Poland
  • Dr Magdalena Janus, Szczecin University of Technology, Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland, Poland
  • Dr Beata Tryba, Szczecin University of Technology, Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland, Poland
  • Dr Tomoki Tsumura, Oita University, Faculty of Engineering, Oita 870-1192, Japan
  • Prof Mashahiro Toyoda, Oita University, Faculty of Engineering, Oita 870-1192, Japan
  • Prof Michio Inagaki, Aichi Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Yakusa, Toyota 470-0392, Japan

    • The activity of new carbon modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst is presented. Initial materials were commercial titania (P25, Degussa, Germany) and titania nanotubes (TNT) prepared by method of Kasuga et al. [1]. The modification was conducted under elevated ethanol pressure at 180 and 220 °C for 4 hours by method of Janus and Morawski [2]. New carbon modified photocatalyst were characterized by FTIR/DRS, UV-Vis/DR and TEM. The modification leads to build in carbon to titania structure without significant surface hydroxyl group’s reduction. Moreover in the case of carbon modified nanotubes modification leads to changes in morphological structure of titania. The activity of new photocatalysts was tested during complied decolourisation of mono azo dye solution (Reactive Red, abs. max = 516 nm) under UV light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of new carbon modified photocatalyst was higher than unmodified titania. Two times higher in the case of modified P25 and fifteen times higher in case of modified nanotubes.

    1. T. Kasuga, M. Hiramatsu, A. Hoson, T. Sekino, K. Niihara, Langmuir, 14 (1998) 3160-3163.
    2. M. Janus, A.W. Morawski, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 74 (2007) 118-123.