Efficient decomposition of organic compounds with FeTiO3/TiO2 heterojunction under visible light irradiation

FeTiO3/TiO2, a new heterojunction-type photocatalyst working at visible light, was prepared by a simple sol–gel method. Not only did FeTiO3/TiO2 exhibit greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity in decomposing 2-propanol in gas phase and 4-chlorophenol in aqueous solution, but also it induced efficient mineralization of 2-propanol under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm). Furthermore, it showed a good photochemical stability in repeated photocatalytic applications. FeTiO3 showed a profound absorption over the entire visible range, and its valence band (VB) position is close to that of TiO2. The unusually high photocatalytic efficiency of the FeTiO3/TiO2 composite was therefore deduced to be caused by hole transfer between the VB of FeTiO3 and TiO2.