Characterization of nitrogen-doped TiO2 powder prepared by newly developed plasma-treatment system

A new plasma-treatment system was developed for preparing a functional powdery material. The nitrogen (N)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) powder was prepared to determine the validity of this system. The physical properties of the plasma-treated TiO2 powder agreed with those of a sample heated at 550 °C in the presence of ammonia, revealing the formation of the N-doped TiO2. The absorbance in the visible region and the N contents of the plasma-treated samples depended on the plasma-treatment conditions that included the treatment time, RF power, and N2 pressure. The specific surface areas of the samples were found to be 231–242 m2/g, which were similar to that of the untreated TiO2 powder (236 m2/g).

► A new plasma-treatment system was developed to prepare functional powdery materials. ► An N-doped TiO2 powder is able to be prepared by the plasma-treatment system. ► The physical property of the sample depended on the treatment conditions. ► The specific surface area of the TiO2 powder is not reduced by the plasma-treatment.