Synthesis and characterization of novel N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst with visible light active

A novel N-doped TiO2 (N-1-N-2-TiO2) with substitutional and interstitial N impurities simultaneously was successfully synthesized. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and electron paramagnetic resonance. The results demonstrated that the nitrogen was substituted for the lattice oxygen atoms, and was also interstitially doped into the TiO2 lattice. The photocatalytic tests indicated that the N-1-N-2-TiO2 showed the highest photocatalytic activities of all the N-doped TiO2 under visible light, attributing to the synergetic effect of substitutional and interstitial nitrogen of N-doped TiO2.