Doping TiO2 with boron or/and cerium elements: Effects on photocatalytic antimicrobial activity

• BCe/TiO2 nano materials firstly applied to the fields of antibacterial materials.
• Systematically analyze the existence state of boron and cerium ions in TiO2.
• Crystallinity and band gap are affected by B and Ce ions co-doped.

The aim of this study is to study the effect of ions co-doped on the photocatalytic antimicrobial activities of TiO2 nano-materials under illumination with visible light. Pure TiO2, boron or cerium single doped TiO2, boron and cerium co-doped TiO2 nano-materials were synthesized by a sol–gel method calcinated at 600 °C and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–Vis absorption spectra (DRS) and Photoluminescence spectra (PL). The photocatalytic antimicrobial activities of nano-materials were determined by killing rate of Staphylococcus aureus. The results show TiO2, B or/and Ce doped TiO2 nano-materials are anatase phase as the main crystalline phase. TiO2 doped with ions exhibit small crystal size and high specific surface area. B and Ce co-doping decreases the band gap of the TiO2 and effectively inhibits electrons and holes recombination. The present forms of boron ions are a substitution B occupying O sites, interstitial boron atoms and BOB bonds in [BO3]; Ce3+ and Ce4+ co-exist in the materials. The antimicrobial results show killing rate of B and Ce co-doping TiO2 is superior to the other materials, and B and Ce co-doped has a synergistic antimicrobial effect.