Preparation of Fe-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays and their photocatalytic activities under visible light

Fe-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays have been prepared by the template-based liquid phase deposition method. Their morphologies, structures and optical properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. Their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under visible light. The UV–vis absorption spectra of the Fe-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays showed a red shift and an enhancement of the absorption in the visible region compared to the undoped sample. The Fe-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays exhibited good photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation, and the optimum dopant amount was found to be 5.9 at% in our experiments.