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Directing photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic performance of TiO2 by using TEA and NH4F as doping precursors

  • Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for catalytic, photoelectrochemical and sensor applications
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Abstract

Triethylamine (TEA) and NH4F-modified TiO2 powders and thin films were prepared by combining sol–gel and hydrothermal processes. Modification with TEA results in increased specific surface area and induces energy states below the conduction band of TiO2. On the other hand, the use of NH4F decreases the band-gap, displacing the valence band. Employing radical-scavenging agents, it was found that formation of O *2 is preferred in TEA-modified TiO2, whereas generation of both O *2 and OH* results from simultaneous modification. Furthermore, the photocatalytic degradation rate was directly proportional to their specific surface area. However, this trend was reversed in a photoelectrocatalytic cell, due to the fact that the photogenerated electrons are rapidly transported to the rear contact, which restrains their transfer to the dissolved oxygen to generate O *2 . Therefore, the presence of OH* radicals and direct charge transfer processes appears to play a key role in the photoelectrocatalytic process.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from COLCIENCIAS (Project 1102-521-28875) and UIS (DIEF Ingenierías Fisicoquímicas, Project 9416).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Investigaciones en Minerales, Biohidrometalurgia y Ambiente, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia

    Edgar Leonardo Castellanos-Leal & Elcy María Córdoba-Tuta

  2. Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Próspero Acevedo-Peña

  3. Centro de Nanociencias y Micro y Nanotecnologías, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Zacatenco, 07738, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

    Luis Lartundo-Rojas

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  1. Edgar Leonardo Castellanos-Leal
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  2. Próspero Acevedo-Peña
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  3. Luis Lartundo-Rojas
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  4. Elcy María Córdoba-Tuta
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Correspondence to Próspero Acevedo-Peña or Elcy María Córdoba-Tuta.

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Castellanos-Leal, E.L., Acevedo-Peña, P., Lartundo-Rojas, L. et al. Directing photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic performance of TiO2 by using TEA and NH4F as doping precursors. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 80, 462–473 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-4135-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-4135-8

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