Study on anti-fungal activity of nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanophotocatalyst under visible light irradiation

Nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanophotocatalysts were prepared, and characterized by XRD patterns and UV–vis spectroscopy. The results indicated that nitrogen was doped effectively and the shift of the absorption edge to a lower energy and a stronger absorption in the visible light region were observed. The calcinations temperature is a key factor to narrow the band gap of titania, and consequently affects the response to visible light of nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanocrystals. This photocatalyst can effectively inhibit the growth of Helminthosporium maydis, whereas undoped TiO2 nanocrystals cannot inhibit the growth of H. maydis under the same experimental conditions.