Photoelectrocatalytic properties of nitrogen doped TiO2/Ti photoelectrode prepared by plasma based ion implantation under visible light

Nitrogen doped TiO2/Ti photoelectrodes were prepared by a sequence of anodization and plasma based ion implantation (PBII). The properties of this photoelectrode were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), Ultra violet/visible light diffuse reflectance spectra (UV/vis/DRS), surface photovoltage (SPV), etc. Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) performance of N-doped TiO2/Ti photoelectrode was tested under visible light irradiation. Their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by degradation of Rhodamine B (Rh.B). The results of XPS showed that nitrogen element was in form of three species, i.e. β-N, molecular γ-N and O-Ti-N, which existed in the lattices of TiO2 and gaps between molecules. The results of UV/vis/DRS spectra and SPV revealed that proper doping of nitrogen could expand the response of photoelectrodes towards visible light and diminish the recombination of photo-generated holes and electrons, respectively. The photoelectrocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2/Ti photoelectrodes was superior to those of undoped one under visible light region irradiation.