Blue Ti3+ self-doped TiO2 nanosheets with rich {001} facets for photocatalytic performance†
Abstract
Novel blue Ti3+ self-doped TiO2 nanosheets (BTTNs) with rich {001} facets of 26.4% were synthesized by a modified solvothermal process, and they were characterized in detail by XRD, TEM and Raman spectroscopy, which show that Ti3+ was successfully doped into anatase TiO2, increasing the number of {001} facets. UV-vis analysis shows profound absorption in the visible region and the bandgap energy of B1.5TTNs is 2.86 eV, which is remarkably smaller than that of pure anatase TiO2 (3.2 eV). Due to the low bandgap energy and high reactivity of the {001} facets, high photocatalytic activity was achieved. Under simulated solar light irradiation for 70 min, 99% rhodamine B was degraded and successfully detected by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).