Comparative study of the photocatalytic performance of boron–iron Co-doped and boron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

A series of nanosized boron-doped and boron–iron co-doped anatase TiO2 represented as Bx,Fey-TiO2 (x = 1, 3, 5, y = 0, 0.5, 1, 3, 5 in wt%) were synthesized by a modified sol–gel method, and characterized by various spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The presence of boron and/or iron causes a red shift in the absorption band of TiO2. The Bx,Fey-TiO2 systems are very effective catalysts for the degradation of toluene under UV or visible light. All reactions follow pseudo-first-order kinetics with the rate being a function of either the dopants or the light source (UV or visible light). The relative quantity and most importantly the position occupied by dopant were found to be the crucial factors in co-doping with respect to the properties and activity of the final product. In general, boron-doping enhances the reactivity while iron-doping works in an opposite manner, thus to show the following order of reactivity regardless of the light source: Bx-TiO2 > TiO2 > Bx,Fey-TiO2. Under the visible light, however, a reversal in this trend is made depending on the relative amount of iron. Thus, for instance, when y ≤ 5, the trend becomes as follows: Bx-TiO2 > Bx,Fey-TiO2 > TiO2.