A facile strategy to prepare Fe³⁺ modified brookite TiO<inf>2</inf> with high photocatalytic activity under ultraviolet light and visible light

Abstract

Abstract: Modification of brookite titanium dioxide (TiO2) for the treatment of typical pollutants is a great challenge, owing to its poor chemical stability and the difficulty involved in obtaining it. In this paper, we report a facile method to prepare Fe3+ modified brookite TiO2. The Fe3+ modified brookite TiO2 catalysts exhibit enhanced absorption in visible light region and efficient separation of photo-generated electrons and holes. Meanwhile, we investigate the effect of the modified contents of Fe3+ on the photocatalytic activity, and the optimum Fe3+ content is obtained at 2 wt% that shows the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B both under UV and visible light irradiation. The traps induced by the Fe3+ doping have been well studied here, which are expected to contribute to the narrowing of the band gap of brookite and the separation of electrons and holes. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]