Preparation and photocatalytic activity of V-doped TiO2 powders

In order to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, vanadium-doped TiO2 catalysts were synthesized in two modes by means of sol-gel method, and the products were characterized by using XRD, TEM, XPS and UV-Vis spectroscopy, whose photocatalytic activity was then evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange. The results show that the prepared V-doped TiO2 anatase is 15-30 nm in diameter after calcination at 500°C for 3 h and different from primary V-doped TiO2. The characteristic peak of V2p can not be detected by XPS on the surface of V-doped TiO2 coated with pure TiO2. Moreover, it is verified by photocatalytic reaction that the catalysts possess higher photocatalytic efficiency when the mole ratio of V-doped TiO2 to pure TiO2 reaches a suitable value.