Mesoporous C, N-codoped TiO2 hybrid shells with enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Mesoporous C, N-codoped TiO2 (C/N-TiO2) hybrid shells incorporated with graphite carbon were synthesized using polystyrene spheres as templates, followed by polyaniline (PANI) and TiO2 coating, and then post-treatments of etching and calcination, where PANI functioned as both C and N doping sources and supplied the graphite carbon. Compared with pure TiO2 and C-doped TiO2 (C-TiO2) hybrid shells, C/N-TiO2 hybrid shells exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of organic dyes and H2 production under visible light irradiation, which could be attributed to the enhanced visible light absorption and charge separation efficiency associated with the codoped-C and N and the presence of graphite carbon. It is believed that the strategy presented here will provide a promising route for the construction of other C/N-semiconductor hybrid shells for broader applications.