Comparative study of (N, Fe) doped TiO₂ photocatalysts

Highlights: • Fe, N doped TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized by sol–gel. • The nitrogen content controlled the mean size of nanoparticles and afterwards the modification of cell parameters with respect the undoped sample. • Both doping elements induced the increase of the anatase-rutile transition temperature. • A red-shift is observed in the absorption spectra with the introduction of both elements. • An improvement of photocatalytic activity is observed with the introduction of nitrogen under UV and Visible light. However for higher concentrations a decrease in kinetic constants was observed as consequence of the oxygen vacancies acting as recombination centers. On the contrary, a deterioration of photocatalytic efficiency is found for the Fe doped samples. • A correlation between magnetic behavior and photocatalytic activity was found. - Abstract: The effect of N and Fe doping on the structural, optical, photocatalytic and magnetic properties of TiO₂ nanoparticles is analyzed. Undoped, N and Fe doped TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized by sol–gel method. Titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) was used as the alkoxyde precursor and iron (III) nitrate and urea were the employed precursors to obtain Fe and N doped TiO₂ nanoparticles, respectively. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetrical Analysis (TGA) enabled the analysis of the thermal decomposition process and the final calcination temperature. X-Ray Diffraction patterns of the calcined nanoparticles displayed a monophasic anatase structure in all the samples with mean crystallite diameter around 4–6 nm. The introduction of Fe or N induced a red-shift in the absorption spectra. Such a red-shift is characterized by a decrease in the band-gap energy and the occurrence of an absorption (Urbach) tail in the visible region. Finally, the photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated under UV and Visible light, obtaining an improvement of the kinetic constants in the nitrogen doped TiO₂ nanoparticles with respect to undoped and Fe doped TiO₂. The differences in the photocatalytic response under Fe and N doping are also analyzed in terms of the magnetic response of the analyzed photocatalysts