Enhanced photocatalytic activity of C, F-codoped TiO2 loaded with AgCl

A protocol is reported for the development of a unique type of a co-doped TiO2 with two kinds of non-metal atoms, carbon (C) and fluorine (F), as a visible-light active photocatalyst system. C, F-codoped TiO2 nanoobjects with anatase phase were synthesized by calcination of a mixture of TiOF2 and sulfuric-acid-treated melamine. The C, F co-doping resulted in a red-shift of the absorption edge to 510 nm from the 390-nm value obtained for a control TiO2 photocatalyst. The C, F-codoped TiO2 shows photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the loading of AgCl into the parent co-doped TiO2 enhanced its activity for degradation of methylene blue dye by about 3.5 times in the first hour irradiation. A brief mechanism responsible for the enhancement is proposed in terms of the transfer of holes from C, F-codoped TiO2 to the AgCl phase.

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► C, F-codoped TiO2 was synthesized by calcination of the mixture of TiOF2 and melamine.
► The C, F-codoped TiO2 shows photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation.
► The loading of AgCl into the co-doped TiO2 enhanced its activity about 3.5 times.