Simple fabrication of thermally stable apertured N-doped TiO2 microtubes as a highly efficient photocatalyst under visible light irradiation

Apertured N-doped TiO2 microtubes have been fabricated by simple hydrolysis of titania tetrachloride using ammonia without any external templates. The morphology and microstucture characteristics of apertured N-doped TiO2 microtubes were characterized by means of the specific surface area (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR), UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The unique morphology of microtubes and mesoporous microstructure were maintained after a heat treatment at 723 K for 3 h, exhibiting significantly thermal stability. The catalysts exhibited high ultraviolet and visible light photocatalytic activity in degrading phenol and methyl orange.