Photocatalytic performance of Fe-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles under visible-light irradiation

The present work focuses on the synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of a nanosized Fe-doped TiO₂ photocatalyst. The samples were synthesized by the sol–gel method and characterized by using techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), UV–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR). The powder XRD spectra revealed that the synthesized samples are pure and crystalline in nature and show a tetragonal anatase phase of TiO₂. The Raman spectroscopy also confirmed the formation of an anatase phase structure in both pure and Fe-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). The UV–visible and PL spectra illustrated the red shift in Fe-doped TiO₂ NPs. The FTIR spectra indicated the vibrational band of the Ti–O lattice. The photocatalytic experimental results demonstrate that Fe-doped TiO₂ NPs effectively degrade MB under visible-light illumination. Interestingly, the prepared TiO₂ NPs with a dopant concentration of 3.0 mole% showed the maximum photocatalytic activity under investigation. (paper)