Well-dispersed ultrafine nitrogen-doped TiO2 with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) acted as N-source and stabilizer for water splitting

In this paper, ultrafine nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic water-splitting properties was successfully fabricated via a solvothermal method. Herein, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as both nitrogen source and stabilizer. The enhancement in water-splitting process can be attributed to the doping of element nitrogen, which could supply an intermediate energy level and promote the separation of photo-excited holes and electrons. Moreover, this paper provides a new application of high-molecular polymer to synthesize solar-driven water-splitting photocatalysts.

Graphical abstractA nitrogen-containing polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was applied to prepare N-doped TiO2 nanomaterials. The dual function of PVP acted as both nitrogen source and stabilizer showed potential usage in the synthesis process of solar-light driven semiconductors.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide