Defect self-doped TiO2 for visible light activity and direct noble metal anchoring

Abstract

A facile approach was developed for preparing defective, self-doped TiO₂, which shows remarkable visible light activity in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB and hydrogen liberation from water. Moreover, noble metal was directly deposited onto the TiO₂ surface via an in situ redox reaction between surficial Ti³⁺ and metal salt. The lack of involvement of foreign reducing agents or stabilizers permits intimate contact between metal nanoparticles and the TiO₂ substrate, which ensures the facilitated interfacial charge transfer. The strategy presented in this work may be applied to design other defect and noble metal mediated visible-light-active photocatalysts.