Preparation of nitrogen doped K2Nb4O11 with high photocatalytic activity for degradation of organic pollutants

Nitrogen doped K2Nb4O11 (K2Nb4O11-N) has been prepared by solid state reaction between K2Nb4O11 and urea at 400 °C. K2Nb4O11-N has been characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and UV/vis diffuse reflectance. The photodegradation of various organic pollutants in water by this material, including Orange G (OG), bisphenol A (BPA) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) have been studied at λ > 330 nm and >399 nm. The results show that the photocatalytic activity of K2Nb4O11-N at >399 nm is higher than those of K2Nb4O11 and Degussa TiO2 P25, indicating the activating effect of nitrogen doping. A mechanism for the photodegradation of organic substrates by K2Nb4O11-N is proposed.

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► A new photocatalyst, K2Nb4O11-N, has been prepared and fully characterized.
► The activity of K2Nb4O11-N for OG, BPA and PCP photodegradation has been evaluated.
► A mechanism for the photodegradation of OG, BPA and PCP by K2Nb4O11-N is proposed.